The Chase
by Hebi-Kazechi-10
Summary: When the orphanage Otoya came from is in danger of closing down for financial reasons, STARISH is offered a chance to win money in the trivia game show, The Chase. However, not only is a rival team also playing, but the Chasers themselves are reputable quiz masters. Will they be able to pull through? Rated T for mild swearing. Guest characters from another fandom will appear.
1. The Starting Line

**Just something I had to write down, because I was getting inspired. However, this is the first time I've written something for the** Uta no Prince-sama **fandom, so here it is. X3**

 **Anyway, I was watching this game show called** The Chase **, and I was always wondering how STARISH would do in the show, so I decided - hey, why not write something out of it? 0w0**

 **Just a little note as well - as I'm more used to the game incarnations, I'll be using them, so if someone appears OOC, it's probably because I'm using the game incarnations of the characters. I know for sure Nanami will be OOC, but it's because I'm not using anime Nanami, I'm using game Nanami.**

 **There'll be a couple of twists and turns, but anyway, here it is. Hope you enjoy~**

* * *

For a while, one Otoya Ittoki was extremely worried. Though he appeared fine and continued performing as usual with his singing and dancing, in all honesty, he felt anxious and unsure of what to do. Many times he tried to smile and just carry on so that nobody would worry about him, but even then, everyone was starting to feel a bit worried for him.

So for that, after some recounting in her head, Haruka Nanami went up to him and asked him what was wrong.

Though told nothing and met with a smile at first, Nanami wasn't deterred. In fact, she was more determined to find out what was wrong.

When asked continuously about it, Otoya finally confessed to Haruka what was wrong.

He found out that the orphanage he came from was going through some financial problems, and could possibly close down.

Several times, he was wondering how he could help as it seemed things were going so low at the place he grew up. After having a heartfelt conversation with her, Nanami suggested that they talk to the rest of the group to look for ideas on how to help and raise money. Once that was done, everyone was worried about the situation, too.

Little did they know that someone was listening to the whole thing.

It was upon short notice, however when they got the news, there was a mixture of emotions.

There was excitement, but also nervousness. Primarily, those were the two most distinct emotions.

At least, that was what Haruka Nanami, composer of STARISH thought.

Shining Saotome had gathered her and the boy group around his desk one day with some important news. Everyone wasn't sure what the news was, as the man was quite whimsical and spontaneous.

However, coming in, they still hadn't expected it.

"You've all been giving performances for a while!" Shining Saotome bellowed brightly. "Busy and hard! However, obviously that's not the only thing when it comes to being successful idols!"

Everyone just nodded to let the man continue.

"This year, they picked Tokyo to hold the convention for the world's quiz geniuses," Shining Saotome continued. He was grinning widely, "Some pretty _smart_ minds around the world are there!"

The next bit was what got them.

"I was able to talk to one of the brilliant and beautiful minds for the show known as _The Chase_ in other countries, and they agreed to allow STARISH to play for a good cause!"

Otoya immediately perked up at hearing this, and felt so hopeful, "Really?!" That big, bright grin was spreading out on his face as his eyes were twinkling with hope.

"You can save the orphanage, Ittoki-kun!" Nanami was smiling herself as she clapped her hands together.

"Don't think it'll be that easy, though!" Shining Saotome was waggling his finger as he then stood up straight. "Do you know of the show _The Chase_?"

"I've heard of a little bit of it," this time Ren spoke up. When everyone looked in his direction, he continued, "I haven't seen it for myself, but I hear it's not easy to win it." Seeing how Otoya seemed to falter slightly, he quickly added, "But have no fear, Ikki, I'm positive we can do it!"

"We can just research about it," Tokiya this time spoke up in his cool tone. "And watch a few clips on it as well to see how it works, and what to expect."

"Always having the answer on you!" Shining Saotome laughed as he this time flew over and patted Tokiya's back. "Good! Great! Wonderful! Now…it'll happen in two weeks, so make sure you prepare yourselves! Okay, everyone?!"

And with that, he sent them out of his office.

Immediately, everyone was starting to wonder about this show called _The Chase_. Considering nobody heard of it, they assumed that it could possibly be a show that showed overseas.

And indeed, when they all gathered in Nanami's room, they were able to research the show. Needless to say, it was quite intriguing to say the least.

"Here it is!" Nanami pointed at the screen of the laptop. Everyone scooted closer to take a look as she read aloud, " _The Chase_ is a quiz show that was broadcasted in Britain."

"Britain?" Otoya questioned. He smiled, "Maybe we can ask Rei-chan about it! He loves things from England!"

"That's true," Tokiya agreed. He turned back to Nanami, "What else does it say?"

Nanami squinted her eyes a bit before continuing, "Contestants play against a professional quizzer known as the _"Chaser"_ , who attempts to prevent them from winning a cash prize."

"No wonder it's called the Chase, then," Syo remarked as he frowned a little.

"Definitely sounds interesting," agreed Masato. "But if they are professional quizzers, then it will be a difficult feat for us."

"You got that right," sighed Syo. "Last time I checked – I don't think any of us were professional quizzers. I guess, we just have to hope they ask us stuff we know, or easy questions."

"I'm sure we could do it!" laughed Cecil. "What else does it say, my princess~?" he leaned close to the rose-haired sweetie. Naturally, this prompted the other boys to immediately barge and yank him away in irritation.

Nanami cleared her throat quickly before everyone could get distracted, "Here's how it's structured!" When everyone got silent to listen, she continued, "A team of four contestants individually attempt to amass as much money as possible, which is later added to a prize fund if the contestant survives their individual chase."

"A team of four?" echoed Natsuki as he tilted his head. "That sounds nice~ so can Syo-chan and Cecil-chan be in a team with me, then?"

"No thanks!" Syo scooted away while Cecil laughed, "Of course! Not to worry, Otoya." He patted the redhead's shoulder, "I will help get money for the orphanage for you!"

"Thanks, Cecil," Otoya nodded. "But, I want to join, too. I may not be the smartest out of all of us here, but the orphanage means a lot to me, so I want to do it."

Tokiya sighed before shaking his head, "I think you should let me have that last spot."

"I already told you," Otoya was speaking more firmly, looking a bit annoyed at the blue-haired male's cut-in. "I'm going to play."

Masato then urged Nanami to continue, "There appears to be more. Could you please continue reading, Nanami-san?"

"Thank you, Hijirikawa-kun," Nanami smiled gratefully. This caused the blue-haired scion to blush slightly at her pleasantly polite response. She always was quite a lady, in his opinion. Clearing her throat again, she continued, "The Chaser's job is to catch each contestant during their individual chase – eliminating that person from the game, and preventing the money from being added to the collective prize fund."

"So we're going to get chased by the Chaser," Otoya took a deep breath.

"In a chase of wits, it seems," Masato murmured.

"And again, we're dealing with professional quiz masters," Tokiya said seriously.

"Any contestants who survive their individual chase, later play collectively as a team for an equal share of the prize fund against the Chaser," Nanami finished the paragraph that summarized the game.

"So basically, a team of four is all against one Chaser," Tokiya surmised as he rubbed his chin. "Each member faces the Chaser one-on-one, then if they survive their run, they go to a final chase."

"Each member's sum of money is added to an amount," added Masato, also appearing to be deep in thought. "Which is then brought to the final chase if they survive."

"What does that say, Haru-chan?" questioned Natsuki as he pointed at a bigger paragraph.

Nanami replied, "Cash Build and Head-to-head rounds. Each contestant comes up one at a time, and is given one minute to answer as many questions as possible with each correct answer worth…" Here, she squinted her eyes, unsure of the symbol.

"That stands for pounds, little lamb," Ren's voice was silky and smooth. "One thousand pounds."

"This element is known as the _"cash builder",_ " said Nanami.

"How much is that in yen?" questioned Otoya, now puzzled. "One thousand pounds."

After some silence, Tokiya then spoke up, "Around one hundred and eight-five thousand yen."

Cecil looked quite happy to hear that, "There you go, Otoya! I'm positive we can do it!"

"The finances are a lot," said Otoya. However he felt more confident that this was going to work out. "But yeah! This definitely will help!"

"After the minute is up, the money earned from the cash builder is placed three steps down on a seven-step money board," Nanami continued reading on. "The contestant may remain at this step, and play or the money in their bank. However, the contestant may also be placed one step lower down the board for a lesser award, or one step further up the board for a greater award, with each award's value being set by the chaser."

"The Chaser seems to have a lot of power in this," Tokiya noted. "They can choose the amounts on both higher and lower end of the spectrum."

"The lower award can occasionally be a negative amount of money," Cecil this time read aloud. He arched both eyebrows, "What?! Can they really do that?"

"It does sound unfair," Otoya agreed. "But, I guess we just not choose the lower amount then. Unless the Chaser gives us a decent amount."

"If the contestant elects to play for the greater reward, the Chaser starts two steps behind," said Nanami. "And the contestant must answer six questions correctly to reach home. If the contestant chooses to remain at the standard starting position, the Chaser is three steps behind, and the contestant must answer five questions correctly to reach home. However, if the contestant chooses to play for the smaller reward, the Chaser is four steps behind, and the contestant must answer four questions correctly to reach home."

"Obviously this wasn't going to be easy," Otoya sighed as he scratched the back of his head. "So basically, it's risky…"

"Either play for bigger money, but get close to the Chaser," said Tokiya slowly. "Or play for the lesser amount, but stay further away." He shook his head, "Once more, considering that the Chasers _are_ quiz masters, this will not be easy."

"Once the contestant nominates their starting position, questions must be answered correctly in order to reach the bottom of the board, and bank their money," continued Nanami. "Both the contestant and the Chaser are given the same multiple-choice question with three possible answers. Each must then secretly press one of the three buttons on their keypad to lock in their answer. When one person locks in their answer, the other is given five seconds to lock in, or else be locked out."

"Since it's a quiz show, I guess they'll be asking us all kinds of things," Syo said.

"Do you think they'll ask about cats?" Natsuki sounded a bit excited at the thought.

"Who knows?" Ren shrugged his shoulders. "Probably anything, really."

"For every correct answer, the contestant will move one step towards home," Nanami was scrolling the page up a bit. "Also, the Chaser moves one step down the board for each correct answer towards the contestant."

"So that's how the chase is," murmured Masato quietly. "A true match of wits."

"No movement is made, either by the contestant or the Chaser, if an incorrect answer is given. The Chaser's job is to catch up to the contestant and eliminate them from the game by capitalizing on the mistakes the contestant makes, before they can reach the bottom of the board. If this happens, the contestant is out of the game, and no money is added to the team's total," Nanami looked at little worried at this point, but she shook her head – reassuring herself that the boys would try their hardest.

Especially since the goal would make them more determined.

"Just don't get caught," Cecil nodded. "Got it!"

"However, if the contestant reaches home, their money is put into the team's prize pot, which will be contested for in the final round. In the case that the contestant chose to play for a negative amount and wins their head-to-head round, the contestant remains in the game, but the team's total pot is reduced by the negative value. This is repeated for all four contestants."

"Who would even _play_ for a negative value?" Syo looked incredulous. "That's just stupid!"

"Not really," Masato spoke up. Everyone glanced in his direction. "Someone could possibly just want to obtain the money, so they not only get closer to home, but since they make it, they would have to have part of the final amount."

"But that's not fair," Cecil frowned. "Not at all!"

"Just…nobody play for the negative amount," Otoya was shaking his head and waving his hands about. "Just, don't."

"The contestants who successfully outrun the Chaser proceed to the Final Chase," concluded Nanami. "If all four contestants are caught by the Chaser, the team's prize fund is set to four thousand pounds, and the team nominates one contestant to proceed to the Final Chase."

"Well, that answered the question I thought of," Tokiya remarked. "I was wondering what would happen if all of us got caught. At least they don't just send us home."

"One last shot, huh?" Otoya was staring intently at the screen.

"Four thousand pounds is around seven hundred and forty thousand yen," said Tokiya. "I bet it's not enough."

"Nowhere near enough," sighed Otoya, now feeling a little nervous. Still, he would be damned if he would go down without a fair fight.

Not for something he cared for.

"There's a Final Chase segment, too," Nanami spoke up before reading its contents aloud. "In the final round called _'The Final Chase'_ , the remaining contestants have two minutes to answer as many questions as possible. "The contestants choose one of two question sets - A or B – with the other set being put aside for the Chaser. Also, the contestants are given a head-start of one space per contestant participating in the round."

"So, if four stayed in, then they'll be four spaces ahead?" questioned Cecil.

"I'd assume to," responded Tokiya. "Go on."

Nanami nodded, "The contestants must press their own buzzer to answer a question, and only the one who pressed the button first can respond; if any other contestant responds, the question is thrown out. The buzzer is not used if only one contestant is in the Final Chase. Every correct answer moves the contestants ahead one space."

"And one step away," nodded Otoya.

"After the two minutes are up, the Chaser is brought in, and is told how many spaces the contestants collected. The Chaser is given two minutes of quick-fire questions to attempt to catch the team. If the Chaser gets a question wrong, or is unable to answer it, the clock is briefly stopped, and the question is thrown over to the contestants; if a correct answer is given, the Chaser is pushed back one space. If the contestants answer the Chaser's question correctly whilst the Chaser is at the starting line, an additional space is added to the requirement for the Chaser."

"If a Chaser can't answer the question, we have to try and answer it ourselves," Syo murmured. "What if we get it wrong, though?"

"If the contestants get the Chaser's question wrong, the clock simply continues on, and the Chaser will continue answering their questions," said Nanami. "If the Chaser succeeds in catching the contestants before time runs out, the contestants lose the prize pot and leave empty-handed."

"Which is what we do _not_ want!" Syo declared.

"If the contestants are not caught by the Chaser, the prize pot is split equally between those contestants participating in the Final Chase. If there is only one contestant remaining, he or she wins the entire prize pot," Nanami this time took a deep breath from all of the reading she had done. "Phew!"

"That truly was quite a lot to read," nodded Masato. "Perhaps some tea would help?"

"Or a massage, little lamb~?" Ren inched closer coyly.

"I can give better massages," Cecil bumped him away as he inched his hands close to the girl's back. "Agnapolis is known for giving good aromatherapy and chiropractic practices as well!"

"Hey, don't do that to her, you jerk!" Syo snapped as he bumped him.

Seeing Otoya looking a bit nervous now, Nanami spoke up, "Ittoki-kun, are you alright?"

"Huh? Yeah, I'm okay," Otoya spread a smile on his tanned face so that she wouldn't worry.

"It's okay to be nervous," Nanami gave a weak smile herself. "Honestly, I'm pretty scared just from reading this…I'm not that good with trivia myself…"

"That is why, Otoya," Tokiya said sternly. "If we have to form a team of four contestants, allow me to play."

"I can just drop out," Natsuki offered. "Syo-chan and I can drop out."

"It sounds really interesting," Syo admitted. "But…I don't know if I can help with trivia. But, if you need an extra player, I'm game!"

"As am I," Cecil reassured. "I'm certain we can do it!"

"Allow me to play as well," Masato offered. "I will do my best to assist you in helping the orphanage."

"Though I'm probably not the best with this," Ren said slowly before chuckling. "I will also try hard. So, don't think you'll be doing this alone, Ikki."

"Guys…" Otoya breathed. He could feel a stir of emotions mixing from within him – he was very touched that everyone was so willing to help him. And for something that truly was dear to him, too. He nodded before swallowing down the lump in his throat – grinning widely, "Yeah! We can do it!"

Nanami was clapping her hands, looking very delighted at the redhead's spirits being lifted. "Now, why don't we go see Reiji-senpai?" she suggested. "He liked things from Britain, right?"

"Oh, right! Let's go!"

Meeting with Reiji, the man got extremely excited when they mentioned _The Chase_. He immediately took out a hard-drive and quickly showed them episodes of the show while telling them some fun facts in between.

"It's such a good quiz show!" Reiji looked practically excited. "The four Chasers are always so clever! It truly is brilliant!"

"Four Chasers?" questioned Tokiya.

"Yep! Four Chasers, Tokkii," beamed Reiji. He pointed as the screen continued playing, "They always introduce them before showing who the Chaser for that episode will be. I heard that many of the Chasers from all around the world are gathering to Tokyo for a convention!"

"Chasers all around the world?" Cecil looked surprised.

"Oh yeah!" Reiji was nodding. " _The Chase_ was popular enough in Britain, that it spread to other countries. Australia, America, China, Germany, even Norway, Russia and Turkey have their own versions of it!"

"Wow," marvelled Natsuki. "That sounds amazing."

"I really want there to be one in Japan, too," sighed Reiji a little sadly. "But looks like we don't yet…maybe someday, though." He then spoke more positively, "So, you guys are going to be playing _The Chase_ at the convention? That's amazing!"

"It's for charity," Tokiya responded.

"That's really nice," Reiji looked quite happy. "After all, that's also part of being an idol. So what kind of charity?"

"It's for an orphanage," said Ren this time.

"Ah, well best of luck to you, guys!" Reiji gave a thumbs-up. "Because the Chasers are definitely no pushovers."

"Yeah, we figured," Otoya nodded – his crimson orbs glued to the screen as he saw a man with short, dark hair and slanted, golden eyes glare back. He could feel a shiver run down his spine. "What do you suggest we do in preparation for it, Rei-chan?"

"All I can advise is to study as much as you can, really," Reiji admitted. "Because it's trivia, you don't know what they'll ask you – they can ask you anything. So, really, play up to your strengths, but also study about other things, too. Like geography and science."

And so that was how that night, Haruka Nanami ended up having seven very tired, yet determined, boys sleeping all over the floor and desk in her dormitory.

Quietly and gently, she gathered blankets and wrapped them around their bodies, giving small smiles.

She was confident that they would do exceptionally, and be able to help Otoya get money to save the orphanage.

* * *

 **Next chapter will be tomorrow, so expect it. X3**

 **Anyway, what shall happen to Nanami and STARISH? Will they be able to make it through the Chase? Will they be able to get the money for the orphanage Otoya used to be from?  
**

 **Tune in next time~**

 **Peace out!  
\- Hebi-Kazechi-10**


	2. Racing Competition

**Another day, and another chapter. =^^=**

 **Thank you so much to** ELEMENT21 **for the fave and follow;** Lulu **for the review** ; **and** Kiwikowa **for the fave, follow AND review! 8D**

Lulu: **Thank you so much. :D I do my best with the stories I make, and try to make them as accurate as possible. Even if I have little to work with, I still try. =^^= I'm glad that the characters weren't OOC, and that it's easy to understand. :D**

Kiwikowa: **Thank you very much! X3 well, it's STARISH - they're sweet guys. :)**

 **So here's the next chapter~**

 **Hope you enjoy. :D**

* * *

Two weeks had passed by in a flash, but everyone was studying and reading as much as they could. Trying to gain as much knowledge as they can in preparation for the day by grabbing whatever book they could find about all kinds of things. Geography, history, arithmetic, literature, and even a bunch of science. Throughout all that, everyone was also juggling responsibilities with their own little projects to do, too. But once they had free time, they would immediately gather into Nanami's dorm, and study, study, _study_.

Though things were still nerve-wracking just because of the very premise since there was something _very_ important at stake, they found that being able to look at pieces of trivia and studying together was helping a lot. And sure enough, they found some little tid-bits and strings of information that was quite interesting.

"Well, this is something," Syo remarked in surprise. He was holding a book about animals that Natsuki had insisted at looking at.

"What is it, _ochibi_ -chan?" Ren asked.

" _Don't_ call me that," Syo looked irritated. However, he pointed at something in the book he was reading, "Check this out!"

"Other than jumping, kangaroos are also good at boxing," Otoya read aloud. "Really?" he stared at the picture of the marsupial animal and began to wonder how a kangaroo could even do such a thing.

"You look pretty intrigued with what you're reading, Masa-chan," Natsuki noted as he gazed at his dark-haired friend. "What type of book is that?"

"It is of history," responded Masato. "Victorian history."

"How is it?"

"Intriguing…but also disturbing," admitted the blue-haired scion as he sighed. "King Henry VIII had six wives…"

"Six?" echoed Syo looking shocked. "Seriously?"

"He definitely must've been a busy man, then," Ren chuckled from his spot on the couch as he flipped a page.

Masato rolled his eyes – looking disgusted at the long-haired male's statement, "How vulgar…"

Either way, though still unsure if what they studied was enough, Nanami saw that the boys looked very determined and ready. She made sure to cheer them on, prep them to keep going, and made them some tea and snacks whenever they felt hungry. To help keep them on track, she would ask them a few times what they'd be reading to help them remember.

They always seemed eager whenever she asked.

Tokiya had proposed that he be part of the team of four contestants – nobody had protested on that, since out of their group, he probably was the smartest and most intellectual out of them. Natsuki then nominated Masato because he was rather intelligent, too. Masato, though a little embarrassed it seemed from the forms of flattery from the bespectacled boy, accepted.

Otoya then said how he will join no matter what since this meant the most to him. Though he still felt that perhaps he was nowhere in the same league as the Chasers that they'll face, he still wanted to partake.

This time, Tokiya chose not to argue with him.

The final spot was open for anybody, and though Cecil offered to take it since he felt quite confident with his abilities, Ren offered that Syo was another possible candidate, much to the latter's shock. Natsuki cheerfully agreed with the long-haired saxophone player.

Regardless, both Syo and Cecil were fine with the other taking the last spot, and agreed that once they reached the building, then they would decide ultimately on who would participate. It was the afternoon when they were driven by a limo to the destination.

And quite an amazing building it was.

The building appeared to be a huge hemispherical dome outside, however entering inside, it was split into several compartments. There was a fountain at the main entrance, and stairs and escalators leading to different parts. A large screen was also at a back panel in proud display.

"Where do you think we're holding this?" questioned Syo. "This place is huge!"

Cecil was looking around in great wonder and awe, "It _is_ huge! It's wonderful!"

"Ah, you must be STARISH. Pleased to meet you."

Everyone jumped when a soft, new voice suddenly spoke up. Turning around to the source, they saw a rather tall man with wavy, blonde hair. He had violet eyes that were shining softly behind a pair of glasses. Interestingly enough, he also had what appeared to be a curly strand of hair dangling from the top of his head. He was dressed quite formally in a pale blue suit. He smiled warmly at them before giving a bow, "It is nice to meet you."

"Ah, Matthew-san~!" Shining Saotome suddenly sprang from out of nowhere. He leapt down from what appeared to be the ceiling before leaping forward and eagerly shaking hands with the blonde across from him. "The pleasure is all mine~!" Turning to the youngsters, he raised his voice, "Everyone! This is Matthew Williams! He represented the country of Canada in the World Stars Quizzing Championship of 2015, and even came 18th in the process! He will provide as our host for this special edition of _The Chase_!"

" _Eighteenth_?" Otoya's crimson eyes widened at the Canadian man before him. And this guy was only the host, to boot.

If this guy who came eighteenth out of how many people in a World quiz championship, then just what kind of a person was the Chaser going to be?

"I'm glad you came in time, Mr Saotome," Matthew smiled warmly. "Before the audience, and after the other team."

"Other team?" questioned Tokiya as he arched an eyebrow.

Matthew nodded, "Yes. There is another team who wants to play for a good cause as well. Perhaps you know them? Well, I'm sure you will once I lead you to that place. Now, shall I lead you to where everything will be taking place?"

Shining Saotome was nodding eagerly like a child in a candy store, "Oh, yes! Most definitely! Lead the way~!"

And with that, Matthew was calmly leading the group of Shining Saotome, Nanami and STARISH through the great building. They didn't go up any stairs or escalator, and went through a few corridors. There were paintings that decorated the walls, along with potted plants. However, Matthew reached a pair of doors. Gesturing them to come closer, he then pushed the doors open.

And inside was a huge auditorium.

Rows and rows of black seats lined up around the stage, and there were a couple at the sides of the walls, too – providing as boxes for the more prestigious. At the very front, the stage was a polished black floor with what appeared to be glowing blue panels. There was what appeared to be a huge panel, also coloured an electric blue with red buzzers.

However, there was noticeably a board that was slanting diagonally down, which Nanami and the members of STARISH knew was the game board from the episodes that Reiji had showed them. There was noticeably a higher platform with a ramp and what appeared to be a question mark that was off at the moment. The ramp seemed to be leading offstage.

"This truly is amazing," Cecil breathed – green eyes glowing keenly.

"Wow…" Syo looked around at the vast space before him. "Just…wow…"

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Matthew smiled – understanding the youngster's reactions. "Well, go on. It's okay. Go ahead and take a look before we begin."

Shining Saotome was urging them, too, "Yes! Go and take a look! Bask at the magnificence of this stage for the mind!"

And so they did.

Coming onto the stage, everyone marvelled at the very sight. The electric blue of the wall behind and the game board was pulsing quite evenly. The panel itself looked like it was ready, however nobody dared to press a buzzer in case it would offend or upset Matthew or other people. Backstage was black with wires around, but the glow of the electric blue panels was still a wonder to behold.

"This truly is something," Nanami breathed – her eyes stretching wide.

"Yeah, it is," Otoya agreed as he gazed around as well. He was walking alongside her, and he noticed how the pale blue lights were pulsing softly much like a heartbeat. He then noticed that the lights illuminated Nanami's soft face and glowing eyes quite well.

And with that, he could feel the lights pulsating come into rhythm with his own heartbeat.

For a moment, he forgot that he was worried and nervous. For a moment, he forgot about what was going to happen soon. For a moment, he felt his heart beat faster again as he gazed at the girl beside him. For a moment, things felt perfect.

For a moment, he was at ease.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't STARISH," a voice suddenly spoke up.

For a moment.

Nanami felt a chill run down her spine, "That voice…" And sure enough, turning around, she was met with a very familiar sight.

"Why hello there~" a very familiar glasses clad young man with ash-brown hair and violet eyes was grinning widely. "Good to see you again, Haruka Nanami."

"Eiichi Ootori?" Nanami looked shocked at seeing him. "Then that means…"

And sure enough, a voice suddenly called out, "Ah~ it's Haru-chan!" and with a sudden zip of salmon pink and blue and white, Nanami found herself getting approached by a rather short boy with a scarf. "Remember me~?" he asked cutely.

"N-Nagi Mikado," Nanami was able to stammer out, still highly taken aback.

"Yay! You do remember~" Nagi looked absolutely satisfied that Nanami remembered him.

"Hey, we heard all the commotion – the hell's going on?" this time, the rest of HEAVENS came to where Eiichi was standing and stood by him. They looked ahead and noticed Nanami and Otoya. The one who spoke, Yamato Hyuga, gave a tsk, "Tch, what's this now? STARISH is here, too, then?"

"Hello, Nanami-san," Eiji Ootori, the younger brother to Eiichi, smiled softly from his position. "Ittoki-san," he waved in greeting.

"Hi," Otoya was a bit hesitant before he responded. He was also quite surprised at the friendly greeting.

"Don't say hi to them, Eiji!" Nagi scolded as he hopped back, and grabbed hold of Eiji's arm to stop him from waving.

"O-oh!" Eiji looked quite shocked, but he lowered his arm. His cheeks tinged a little red before he rubbed at the back of his neck, "I'm sorry…"

"It seems the planets aligned for this," Shion Amakusa murmured. His eyes were looking intently in Otoya's direction, causing the redhead to feel uneasy with the intense gaze. "For a battle of wits."

"Battle of wits, huh?" Yamato smirked. "Well, let's see them handle us!"

"What's going on over there?" Syo asked in irritation at all the noise. However, seeing who it is, he immediately stopped with his blue eyes widened, "What the-? HEAVENS?!"

"HEAVENS are here as well?" Masato's eyes stretched wide.

"The one and only~" Van had rested an arm on Yamato's shoulder, and winked in Syo's direction. "How's it going, shorty?"

Syo bristled, "What the hell did you just call me?!" Natsuki and Cecil had to hold him back.

"So all of HEAVENS are here, then?" Tokiya asked, unamused.

"But, of course!" Nagi looked quite proud. "But what are STARISH doing here?" he wondered to himself looking pretty disgusted. However, he blew a raspberry before waving a dismissive hand, "You know what? Never mind! It really doesn't matter, anyway – we don't have time to waste on you!"

"So true," Eiichi adjusted his glasses as they flashed ominously. "Though it would be fun to humiliate you, we're not here to waste any more time on you."

"Then what are you here for, exactly?" questioned Ren, narrowing his eyes.

"We're all here for Kira!" Nagi announced, placing his fists on his hips. He lifted his head high quite proudly, "This is all for him!"

"Sumeragi-kun?" Nanami inquired, this time quite surprised and much less uneasy. "But, why? Is he okay?"The members of STARISH appeared rather uncomfortable with the display of concern that the rose-haired composer had for the dark-haired HEAVENS member.

Eiji spoke up helpfully, "Well, technically for a good cause that Kira wanted to help out with."

"A good cause, huh?" Syo asked suspiciously. "What kind of good cause?"

"I'd rather we not tell," Eiichi said, appearing quite smug. "Because it's primarily Kira's business, and because we don't find it necessary to tell you anything about things regarding to us. But…" he smirked in Nanami's direction. "I do not mind sharing such details to Nanami~"

"Over my dead body!" Syo snapped as Otoya immediately stood in front of her. The rest of STARISH gave agreement - this time standing around and before Nanami as a means of protecting her away from the opposing group.

"Heh, well this looks fun! Wanna fight, punk? You're gonna get one!" Yamato cracked at his knuckles before his neck and took a step forward - leaning his upper body down to Syo's level. "And you're gonna _lose."_ Despite being much taller than Syo, the shorter of the two glared at him head-on- totally unafraid.

"Leave it, Yamato, it ain't worth it," Van drawled, looking a little tired and a bit annoyed.

"G-guys, come on!" Eiji stepped forward to take hold of his hot-blooded friend and bring him back. "Just leave it, Yamato-kun!"

"Pfft-! If it weren't for Ootori here, I'd squash you like the bug you're the size of, midget!" Yamato spat in Syo's direction.

" _Midget_?!" once more, Cecil and Natsuki had to grab onto Syo before he could end up attacking the other party. However, it proved to be difficult as Syo was moving about - flailing his arms around.

Shion narrowed his eyes, "Such fire emasculating in such a small, china figure."

"I am _not_ small!" Syo snapped angrily. "I've still got years left to grow!"

"What a brute you are," Ren tsked in Yamato and Shion's direction. "Taunting _ochibi-chan_ like that. Do any of you have any manners or decency at all?"

"Shut up, Ren!" Syo snapped. "I told you not to call me that!"

"Excuse me?" Van's annoyance this time was aimed at STARISH's direction. "But shorty over there started it all. And you just essentially proved you're a hypocrite by calling him short yourself."

"He started nothing!" defended Cecil who now stepped forward himself, which prompted Otoya to grab his shoulders to hold him back. "You provoked him! And Ren is not a hypocrite!"

"Last time I checked, no-one asked you," this time Eiichi adjusted his glasses.

Cecil looked appalled at the words, however he became quite angry afterwards. "You...how _dare_ you talk to me like that!" he bristled. "Such rudeness, do you even know who I am?!"

"Annoying?" Eiichi looked like he was completely enjoying himself with provoking the young prince.

"Aniki, please..." Eiji began weakly, only to be given a stern glare by his older brother. The younger of the Ootori brothers simply looked to the side, now appearing completely ashamed for having said something.

Otoya couldn't help but feel really bad for him.

Suddenly, footsteps were heard clattering as someone approached the stage. Everyone stopped from their actions and arguing for a moment and turned to the source of the sound. A young man with black hair that was parted to the right, and pale yellow eyes was calmly making his way onstage - his footsteps echoing throughout the auditorium.

"Kira!" Nagi spoke up, looking happy to see the tall man. "You're finally back!"

Kira didn't say anything. He simply gave a single nod in Nagi's direction. He darted his eyes up to see that Eiji was holding onto Yamato, Van looking annoyed, Shion looking the same as always, and Eiichi appearing quite smug. Then slowly, Kira turned his head to the right to see the whole of STARISH standing as a barrier in front of Nanami with Natsuki holding onto Syo, while Otoya was holding back Cecil. He surveyed them with slight interest before giving a small nod in their direction in acknowledgement.

Then, he simply and silently turned around and walked to the other end of the stage and out of sight.

It looked like he was heading backstage.

Nagi immediately called, "Hey, Kira! Wait for me!" before running after his retreating form.

"Damn, he's totally focused on this thing, is he?" Van noted in awed surprise.

"Well, this _does_ mean a lot to Kira-kun," Eiji murmured slowly as he rubbed the back of his neck after letting go of Yamato. "So, it shouldn't be surprising."

"Keeping the eyes on the golden fruit," Shion said plainly with his eyes shut. "The way of the warrior. Though Sumeragi-san fits both the description of a noble from the heavenly river, and a warrior of the celestial plains."

"Heh, well I like how he's totally focused on this thing," Yamato smirked, looking absolutely determined. "You can count on me also focusing on smashing this quiz thing! We'll get a crap ton of money and help him out!"

Eiichi snorted, "Well, it seems Kira seems to want to focus more on the game, so for the time being…" he turned to STARISH and adjusted his glasses one last time.

And once more, the glasses were flashing in a sinister fashion as he gave a wicked grin.

"Looks like we bid you adieu."

With that, he walked ahead in direction to where his other two members were. And as a result, everyone else followed suit.

"Geez…" Syo sighed. "Can't believe it – do we _have_ to verse HEAVENS in this thing? They're so annoying...but I admit - it'd be great to kick their butts!"

"You do remember what Matthew-san said before, right?" Masato recalled. "That there was another team going to be involved in this."

"And of course, it had to be HEAVENS," Ren looked annoyed.

"Still," this time, Tokiya looked a bit doubtful. "I don't think it's them that will be our opponent in this…"

"It did mention one Chaser before," Natsuki added. "Perhaps we might end up teaming up with them."

"Do we have to?" Cecil whined. "I really don't want to work with them! They're so rude and fake!"

"Same here," Syo agreed, not at all liking the idea.

"But they're also playing for a good cause, it seems," Otoya noted. "I just wonder what it is. I don't see the point in lying about it." He also personally felt that not all of them were that bad - Eiji seemed like a decent guy, and Kira didn't say anything at all.

"Kira Sumeragi comes from a very well-respected family," Masato remarked slowly as he frowned. "So, it really is not easy to say what kind of cause he wants to earn money for."

"Well, whatever happens, just do you best, okay?" Nanami spoke up, wanting to ease the suddenly tense atmosphere. "Fighting!" she then raised her fist high in the air. "I'll root for you from the audience, everyone!"

Feeling much better and more confident and determined, STARISH all agreed. Smiles spread out on their faces, and the fire in their eyes was ignited. "Fighting!" they also shouted as they raised their own fists in the air.

Throughout all of this though, there were two men who were simply observing from the very back end of the auditorium – right at the entrance of it. Both looked rather interested at the scene that was displayed before them.

"Tch, had to admit, Saotome, this wasn't half a bad idea," a man with an extravagant cloak and hat stated as he removed his cigar from his mouth. Raging Ootori, the producer for HEAVENS was observing closely.

Shining Saotome gave a bellowing laugh, "Ha! Well, let's just see how they deal with what comes in store with them when the Chasers come out!"

"Did you pick the Chaser you wanted your boys to play against?" Raging Ootori questioned.

Shining Saotome shook his head, "Nope! I let the Chasers choose amongst themselves, and so I expect them to give it their all!"

Raging Ootori didn't respond for a moment. However, he gave a dry cackle before putting his cigar back in his mouth, "Ha! Well, I expected nothing less. As of I – I'd rather the Chasers themselves picked who they want, and go all out against my boys. Fight to get what you want, and fight _hard_. I'm just interested to see how this is going to end, since after all…" he looked in a certain direction, which was outside of the auditorium.

Matthew was talking with a group of four people quite casually with a soft, pleasant smile on his face. The four people he was talking to were standing upright and appeared very relaxed despite the straight postures.

Three men, and one woman.

After the conversation appeared to be over, Matthew left the four and entered the auditorium again. He bid Shining Saotome and Raging Ootori good day before coming inside. The four people left behind meanwhile were in a conversation amongst themselves, now looking interested but quite composed.

"We _are_ dealing with some brilliant minds here."

* * *

 **And the second chapter comes to a close. 0w0**

 **And it looks like HEAVENS are here. And it looks like they'll be also playing The Chase for some cash for a cause they're not willing to share. OwO**

 **I know they do get a bit of flak, but honestly, I'm pretty intrigued with them, and I do actually like them : especially with the new members entering the scene.** **So, as a result, writing them right now (Yamato, Eiji, Van and Shion) is kind of just my interpretation. =^^= but in all honesty, I actually have fun writing HEAVENS.**

 **And to those wondering, Matthew is a character from another fandom. He and other characters from this particular fandom will appear, and be more prominent in the chapter after the next one, so stay tuned~ W cookies will go to whoever can guess correctly. 8D**

 **What shall happen during The Chase? Will STARISH be able to win cash for the orphanage? Will HEAVENS be able to win cash for their own cause?**

 **Expect the next chapter tomorrow~**

 **Peace out!  
\- Hebi-Kazechi-10**


	3. The Chase is On

**And the next chapter is out. X3**

 **Yes, from last time, the other fandom that will have characters popping up is Hetalia (Nyotalia included). However, it'd be something like a human AU since I think it'd be unfair if we had century-old nations competing with a bunch of 17-23 year-old boys. XDDD I don't know if this should be then labelled as a crossover or not as, though the Hetalia characters are prominent, it's mainly because they're guests, and the story is really just mainly more about STARISH and HEAVENS getting money for their respective good causes - there won't be much expansion with the Hetalia characters that appear. So for now, I'm leaving it in the Uta no Prince-sama category.**

 **Just giving a heads-up, that's all. ;w;**

 **HUGE thanks to** Kiwikowa **for the review. :D**

Kikikowa: **Yep. =^^= the other fandom I'm going to use is Hetalia, so there'll be Hetalia characters entering as guests. owo still, thank you so much for reviewing. :D and though I'm not a fan of the anime myself (I prefer the games), I do actually like HEAVENS, and I hope to see them get expanded more in Season 4. OwO**

 **Anyway, hope you enjoy~**

* * *

The auditorium was soon filling up with quite a huge number of people. Everyone was peeking from the waiting room, and were really shocked at seeing the rate of how quickly the seats filled up. There was a large television screen blaring before them showing the whole display. There was some food that was on a table in case someone wanted a quick snack.

"I didn't think there'd be a lot of people here," Syo was shocked. "The place is filling out."

"I guess more people like this show than we thought," Masato surmised, quite surprised himself. "There are so many, though."

"Actually, a lot of them are people from the convention," a voice spoke up.

Everyone turned around to see the source of voice, and weren't really surprised to see Reiji Kotobuki smiling at them while carrying some plastic bags. He was also joined with a tall man with spiky, silver hair, and heterochromatic eyes; along with a younger male with cyan eyes, and hair of matching colour that was shoulder length, but tied up in a ponytail on one side.

"Kurosaki-senpai, Mikaze-senpai!" Nanami looked happily surprised at seeing the seniors. "You're here to root for STARISH, too?"

"Tch, we're here because Reiji's a fan of this stuff," Ranmaru looked stiffly irritated, but otherwise he didn't seem to have a problem. "So he dragged us along."

"Don't worry, Ran-Ran!" Reiji was grinning. "It's great, I tell you!" Sensing that his silver-haired comrade seemed like he was close to leaving, Reiji quickly added, "I brought some _bentō_ from my family's shop!"

"You brought food, Rei-chan?" questioned Otoya.

"Well, there's going to be an intermission in the middle, of course," smiled Reiji as he explained. "A fifteen minute one, so I figured – hey, why not bring some food and drink? And, if we tried to sneak back here, we'd probably use up all of the fifteen minutes just to get here!"

Ranmaru was eying the plastic bags that Reiji was carrying with him, and noticed the lacquerware boxes along with some bottles. His eyes daring to the side a few times before settling on the food, he snorted, "Fine. But I'm only here for the food. What kind did you bring?"

" _Shōkadō_ , _chūka_ and _tori_ ," Reiji responded with a laugh when Ranmaru snatched the plastic bags from him and immediately left. Everyone just watched him go.

"According to my data," Ai, the cyan-haired male, spoke up in a matter-of-factly tone. "Four of the quiz masters were nominated as potential Chasers for this special. And HEAVENS are playing first."

"Really?" asked Otoya.

"Just like HEAVENS," Syo grumbled. "So eager to show off."

"Do you know who, Ai-senpai?" inquired Syo.

However, when he opened his mouth, a loud, booming voice bellowed from the door, "Ah~! There they are! Are you ready?!"

And sure enough, Shining Saotome burst forth and twirled towards the group. Ai shut his mouth as Reiji simply smiled at the man's entrance.

"How nice of you to come, Kotobuki! Mikaze!" Shining Saotome looked really happy at seeing two of his seniors. "Here to cheer on your juniors? Such great support! But sadly, it's time for you to go because it will start very soon. Sorry! You, too, Haruka Nanami! So, shoo, shoo!" He shooed the three of them away with a scooting gesture.

"Good luck, everyone!" Nanami cheered as she followed Reiji and Ai out of the waiting room.

"Don't worry about kouhai-chan, guys," Reiji reassured. "Ai-Ai, Ran-Ran and I will look after her~!" he winked and gave a thumbs-up before finally disappearing from sight before anyone could protest.

"They better not do anything on her…" Syo grumbled to himself.

Cecil was also annoyed, "Indeed. Muse should be with us."

"We still don't know who's the last member for our team of four," remarked Tokiya quite clearly, though he himself looked irritated. "Who is it going to be?"

"I'm pretty sure we agreed that it was either Ceci or ochibi-chan," said Ren.

"Quit calling me that," said Syo in irritation. However he placed his input, "I don't really mind if Cecil does it, but I'd like to stick it to HEAVENS that we're not easy to beat down!"

"I'd like to do it," Cecil piped up. "As I mentioned before, I'm very confident with my abilities."

"Okay, then," said Natsuki with a smile as he raised a finger for each name he announced. "So, it'll be Toki-chan, Masa-chan, Oto-chan, and Cecil-chan~"

"Looks like it," Otoya agreed, now feeling his stomach turn over. "So…let's do our best, guys!" he said as he raised his fist.

"For the orphanage," spoke up Masato.

Otoya felt a smile spread across his face before a flame of determination ignited in his crimson eyes, "For the orphanage!"

The others gathered together into a circle before calling, "Fighting!"

Just as they did so, the audience started shushing each other and began to quiet down when suddenly the stage started to dim from its normally great hue of electric blue. The STARISH boys turned around to focus on the screen. When the electric blue stage suddenly pulsed, the front erupted in a more vivid shade of the colour as a sudden bolt of electric blue lightning shot at the sides – suddenly igniting the whole stage at front to regain its vibrant colour.

More lights were shimmering before another bolt of electric blue suddenly shot up. More burst forth until it appeared to form strands.

However, upon a closer look, it wasn't strands.

"That looks like…" Nanami squinted from her place at one of the top boxes before exclaiming. "Veins!"

The bolts of lightning had formed into what appeared to be a brain. Suddenly, another shot of lightning was blasted to the other side as it leaved behind what appeared to be some smoke. One more blast obliterated the brain that was formed, and what remained appeared to be a figure running.

Everyone marvelled and _"oohed"_ and _"ahhed"_ at the display of electronics as the stage lit up. STARISH included, despite the fact that they were only in a room with a screen - they wished that they could see it first-hand. Shining Saotome had ushered the boy group into the room from Matthew's instructions as the Chasers didn't want to be revealed before they came onto the stage to play, so staying backstage was out of the question.

As the stage was highly illuminated, and the bolts of lightning finally disappeared, Matthew appeared on stage with a mike. Also on stage was the panel where the players were seated, which was glowing quite vividly.

However, there was something… _very_ different about it.

"Hold on, all of HEAVENS are there," Masato's eyes widened.

And indeed, he was right.

There at the panel was not four contestants, but _seven_.

There they sat in order of the initials of their group name. Yamato Hyuga was sitting at the left end looking quite pumped; Eiji Ootori was rubbing the back of his neck as he smiled softly at the audience; Shion Amakusa simply surveyed what was before him intently; Van Kiryuin winked at the camera; Eiichi Ootori adjusted his glasses before giving a smile; Nagi Mikado made a cute pose; and finally, Kira Sumeragi sat at the right end, looking serious, but his pale yellow eyes burning with a sudden determination. Right in front of each member was a plate with their first name on it.

"So…then that means _all_ of us can play!" Cecil looked delighted.

"I think it's better that way, anyway," Tokiya nodded. "We can win more money. So, I suppose that's why they changed the panel for tonight for all seven instead of just four."

"That's really nice of them," Otoya noted. "Really, it is quite nice."

"Don't forget we still have to face the Chasers," said Tokiya sharply. "And for all we know, all of us could just as easily get eliminated."

"Yeah? Well, I'm more eager to see HEAVENS getting eliminated," Syo said with a wry smile. With that, the others couldn't help but agree. For that, they continued to watch – missing a little bit of Matthew's introduction, but otherwise getting the gist.

"…but by working as a team, they have the chance to win _millions_ of yen," Matthew announced. "There's just one thing standing in their way, though." He then turned to the game board that was across the room from the panel where the seven HEAVENS members were seated at. "The Chaser." Matthew then turned to face the audience again. In their lounge room, STARISH saw the blonde Canadian gaze right at them before dipping his head down a little, "The chase is on."

The auditorium then erupted into applause – screaming, cheering, whistling and cat-calling as well, when suddenly, the stage flashed with multiple white and yellow lights as the stage became a shade of scarlet. More squeals of delight and screams of excitement were heard when the stage suddenly morphed back to the electric blue as quickly as it changed colours.

"Welcome, to this special edition of the Chase!" Matthew announced, smiling serenely. "Unlike most episodes of the Chase, this time, we have two celebrity teams that will play for great causes. They have come here to challenge and see if they have what it takes to take on some of the world's finest quiz masters and take money for their respective charities. Here we are with team number one. From Raging Productions, it is the seven souls of the angelic HEAVENS!"

When Matthew gestured in their direction, the auditorium erupted into more screams, applause and squeals of delight - quite a huge number of girls looked absolutely enamoured and elated at seeing the seven boys. The seven members of HEAVENS reacted accordingly – Yamato raised a fist; Eiji waved while smiling; Shion nodded; Van gave a click of his tongue with a grin; Eiichi adjusted his glasses and winked; Nagi looked ecstatic at the attention; while Kira simply dipped his head in respect.

"Now, why don't we meet the team a bit better? What their specialties are, and what they like to do, maybe?" Matthew inquired, which prompted loud cheers of approval and eagerness.

Yamato was grinning madly as he jerked a thumb at himself, "I am Yamato Hyuga, and I'm ready to take you on!"

"I am Eiji Ootori," Eiji said as he stretched his jacket sleeve a bit. He smiled weakly as he felt his cheeks light up a bit, "I…I guess I really like video games and music."

"I am Shion Amakusa," Shion murmured. "The stars have brought us here to compete."

"The name's Van Kiryuin," Van smirked. "Sports and geography are my thing!"

"I'm Eiichi Ootori," Eiichi announced when it was his turn. "Pop culture, movies and chemistry are what I excel at."

"Hello everyone~!" Nagi was waving happily. "It's me!"

"Cutie Nagi~!" members of the audience were screaming in delight at the youngest HEAVENS member.

Nagi looked extremely elated as he laughed, "Yes, it's me~! My specialty is literature and I'm pretty good at maths, too! I hope you cheer for us, everyone~!"

Finally, it reached the last member at the other end of the panel table. "I am Kira Sumeragi," the dark-haired idol spoke in a surprisingly clear voice. After what appeared to be some thought, he then said simply, "I like animals."

"I didn't know Kira-chan likes animals, too!" Natsuki's eyes immediately lit up at hearing that piece of information uttered by the idol at the right end of the panel table.

"Sounds like a pretty decent team," Masato murmured unwillingly.

"That is even if they survive," Ren added, arching an annoyed eyebrow in Masato's direction.

"Yes!" Cecil agreed as he clapped his hands together. "For all we know, they might all lose against this Chaser!"

"All we can do is watch, really," said Tokiya as he narrowed his eyes.

Everyone watched intently from their places on the couches or the floor as things continued moving along.

Once the HEAVENS members were done with their brief introductions, Matthew continued as he walked across to the game board, whose panels were suddenly flashing vividly in a consecutive pattern, "That is our first team, ladies and gentlemen. Now, one-by-one, they have to bring as much money as they can, down the board, and into the team prize fund." He pointed at what appeared to be the yen sign at the very front of the seven member panel table that was underneath their names.

"Hunting them down every step of the way is the Chaser," concluded Matthew. "Anyone who gets caught loses their money and is out of the game. If they get back safely, though, they get to move on to the Final Chase, and a chance to win the cash prize."

"See?" Reiji looked absolutely excited from his spot next to Nanami at one of the top boxes. He looked giddy. "It's so exciting!"

"It really is," Nanami agreed, now feeling quite eager to see what happens, despite the nervousness she felt for the STARISH boys.

"Whatever," was Ranmaru's response as he leaned back in his seat with his arms crossed over his chest. However, the look in his eyes easily showed that even he had gained some interest with the premise of the show.

"It will be interesting to see what these quiz masters are capable of," Ai murmured. "I wonder if I can achieve new data."

"Considering you can be asked literally _anything_ up in a quiz show, I'm sure you'll be able to get some new info, Ai-Ai," Reiji beamed.

"Now, are you all ready?" Matthew asked. Upon hearing everyone shout _"YES"_ , he called again, "Are you ready?" The shouts were even louder and they thundered throughout the entire auditorium. "Well, that's wonderful! Now, we can start!" He then turned to face the HEAVENS members. "And it all starts," he then raised a hand in Yamato's direction. "With Yamato Hyuga."

Yamato looked extremely pumped as he this time punched his fist into his open palm. He leapt out of his seat as Eiji patted his back in what appeared to be a notion of good luck. Regardless, the stoked blonde eagerly bounded forward as people cheered and applauded his enthusiasm and obvious display of fighting spirit when he raised his fists up and spread his arms out.

"What a show-off," Cecil huffed.

Syo snorted with a nod of agreement, but he gazed intently at the screen.

Likewise, Otoya was staring at the screen – now wondering just how the whole thing was going to go.

He just hoped that things would turn out well in the end.

* * *

 _shōkadō -_ **a traditional black lacquered Japanese bento box.  
** _chūka -_ **bento** **with Chinese food in it.  
** _tori_ \- **bento that** **has chicken pieces cooked in sauce served over rice.**

 **HEAVENS will be the first team to play, and Yamato will be the first contestant to do the Chase. However, his Chase will be split into two parts because, since he's the first member to play, they'll introduce the Chaser in his part, along with the three other potential Chasers.**

 **Who will the Chaser be? Will HEAVENS be successful in gaining money?** **Tune in next time~!**

 **Peace out!  
\- Hebi-Kazechi-10**


	4. HEAVENS Chase - Yamato (Part 1)

**A much longer chapter for today, and it's actually split into two parts actually. X3**

 **Anyway, thanks to** twenteenth **for the fave. :D**

 **Here, we finally get a move on with the game of The Chase, and starting out with HEAVENS! And starting out with Yamato Hyuga. Will he succeed? How will he go? Let's find out~**

 **Hope you enjoy~**

* * *

"Welcome, Yamato," Matthew said with a smile and a little dip of his head.

"Yo!" Yamato was now standing at what appeared to be a blue circle that seemed to form on the floor. He was instructed before by his fellow members to tone down on his intensity, but really, he was just eager to play.

"So, you said to bring it on," brought up Matthew. "I take it you're eager to play, then?"

"Oh, yeah!" Yamato nodded – that grin spreading out on his face again. "I'm ready!"

"Fantastic," Matthew nodded, looking quite pleased to hear that. "Do you like quizzes?"

"Not at school," Yamato gave bark-like laughter. "But, if it's about trivia and that kinda stuff, well, I'm definitely game!"

"How much do you want to gain from this experience?"

"A lot, of course!" responded Yamato. "This is all for a good cause, after all! We need a good amount for Sumeragi's cause!"

The audience was cheering loudly with great encouragement. Yamato seemed to like how the audience was eagerly riled up in eagerness and so he gave large nods. Kira simply watched from his spot, without saying a word.

"I still wonder what his cause is," Otoya said aloud. "I wonder…"

"It doesn't matter," said Tokiya a bit too sharply for his liking. "Let's just see what happens."

Otoya frowned at the blue-haired boy's direction before gazing back at the screen.

"Good answer," said Matthew with a nod. "Now, this is the cash builder round, so I will ask you quick-fire questions during the run of the clock."

A sudden timer was shown at the back; the electronic walls displayed a white zero with the yen symbol with it. There was also what appeared to be one minute in the timer.

"Each correct answer will earn you two hundred thousand yen," said Matthew. "I wish you and your fellow members good luck."

Yamato simply dipped his head, though the fire in his orange eyes was ablaze. He was _definitely_ ready.

Matthew then announced as he looked down at what appeared to be a stand with a monitor, which appeared to be showing questions, "Your time…starts…now! How many players are there in a basketball team?"

"Five," responded Yamato.

"Correct."

Suddenly, the amount boosted from zero into two hundred thousand yen from Yamato's correct answer. Immediately, Matthew continued to the next question, "In _Peter Pan_ , what did the crocodile swallow?"

"A clock."

"Correct. Helix aspersa is the Latin name for what common mollusc?"

"What kind of a question is that?" Syo looked really shocked. Everyone else was just as flabbergasted as he was.

"Uhh…" Yamato looked a bit taken aback at the question as well, and seemed to be trying to wrack his brain on the spot for something to say. However he shook his head in irritation, "I don't know, pass!"

"The garden snail," said Matthew. "If you had Lafite-Rothschild on your dinner table, what would it be?"

"Uhh…" again Yamato looked pretty shocked at the question. However, he darted his eyes to the timer, starting to feel a little bit of the pressure seep in. "Cheese?"

"Wine," corrected Matthew. Yamato cursed under his breath as the Canadian host continued, "What martial arts means gentle way?"

"Judo!" Yamato looked really relieved a question he knew was finally out.

"Correct!" Matthew himself seemed quite happy that he answered a question. "In 1901, which brand of car was seen for the first time?"

"Oh…" Yamato was scratching at his head looking like he was trying to hurry. "Damn, I know this one…come on, uh...Merecedes!"

"Correct. Igemar Stenmark won on record, 85 world cup races in what sport?"

"Crap…" Yamato breathed as he tried again to wrack his brain for a quick guess. Once more, his amber eyes darted at the timer as it was ticking down. "Gymnastics?"

"Skiing."

"Fuu…" Yamato looked like he was ready to curse, as he grit his teeth, but he immediately tried to keep his temper in check as he saw he still had thirty seconds remaining.

"It appears to be a mix," Masato observed. "A few easy questions, then really difficult ones."

"Yeah, those difficult questions…what the hell are they?" Syo looked pretty tired himself, and he wasn't even playing.

"It seems Yamato Hyuga is feeling the pressure," noted Tokiya. "He looks rattled from some of the questions."

"What is an auctioneer's hammer called?" asked Matthew.

"A-ah! A gavel!" answered Yamato. He knew that behind him his fellow bandmates were staring either at him or the clock. He didn't know how much he gained now, but he decided to just plow through the questions and smash as many as he can with his intellectual fists.

From their spots at the panel, Eiji looked quite nervous as he bit his bottom lip; Shion's eyes were softly closed, as if he were contemplating; Van was watching closely, feeling quite on edge, along with Nagi who was bouncing in his seat a little; Eiichi was simply smirking – appearing to enjoy Yamato's discomfort at some of the questions and the pressure the blonde was experiencing despite them being teammates; Kira meanwhile had his eyes darted at Yamato and the clock various times.

"Correct. In which city would you find the Forbidden City?"

"Beijing!"

"Correct. What is the chemical symbol for lead?"

"Uhh…" Yamato licked his lips before vigorously shaking his head. "Damn it science…pass!"

"Pb. What is the world's biggest ocean?"

"Pacific?" Yamato guessed.

"Correct," upon hearing that, Yamato looked pumped he got the guess correct. "What ingredient in fresh milk is eventually devoured by bacteria, causing the sour taste?"

"Uhh…" the clock was ticking down to fifteen seconds. "Damn…what the hell…pass!"

"Lactose. Who was the Roman god of agriculture?"

"Ghh…" the sweat on the sides of Yamato's head was now starting to pop out and slide down a little as the clock reached twelve seconds. "Crap…what was it? Uranus?"

"Saturn."

Yamato almost cursed out loud right there and then, but quickly bit his tongue as he noticed Raging Ootori sitting on one of the top boxes along with STARISH's Shining Saotome. He'd get an earful if he swore onstage right there in front of hundreds of people.

Matthew continued asking, "KLM is the national airline of which country?"

"Damn it, pass," Yamato shook his head, starting to feel more pressure at the strange questions he was getting.

"Holland. In the Bible, from whom did David steal his wife, Bathsheba?"

"Pass!" Yamato was gritting his teeth, now feeling even more of the pressure as he saw the timer was now ten seconds, and he couldn't answer four questions in a row. Naturally, he was starting to get frustrated.

"Uriah. May Queen, Wisley Crab, Foxwhelps and Lane's Prince Albert are all species of what?"

' _Where the hell did I hear one of them?!'_ Yamato's eyes widened a little upon recalling one of the names somewhere. He had to think quickly, but he was pretty sure he heard the last name somewhere before. "Uh…"

"He only has five seconds left," Natsuki spoke up, now looking a bit on edge himself.

Suddenly, a loud alarm was ringing throughout the auditorium as Yamato shouted, "Apple! They're apples! I ate one before!"

When the alarm stopped blaring, Matthew looked quite happy with the outcome, "You _just_ made it. So add another two hundred thousand yen. How did that feel?"

"Phew…" Yamato wiped at his forehead with his arm and looked a bit out of breath. "Hectic, but that was great!"

"Indeed, that was brilliant," agreed Matthew. "Eight questions correct, and so you've collected one million and six hundred thousand yen."

The audience applauded and shouted in delight – accompanied with squeals and cheers. Yamato himself looked extremely proud that he gained that much. He pumped his fist as he shouted, "Yes!"

"One million and six hundred thousand?" Cecil looked incredulous. "He was able to get that much?"

"I guess HEAVENS should not be underestimated, then," Masato murmured with surprise.

"Some of the questions were easy," said Tokiya matter-of-factly. "But there are hard ones, too. Guess we just need to be lucky."

"Good job with that, Yamato," Matthew continued. "Your team look really happy with that."

"Go Yamato! Go!" Nagi was shouting happily with his own fist raised. Van and Eiji looked excited for their fellow member's success. Eiichi was also smirking and nodding in approval, while Shion simply looked impassive. Kira himself gave a small nod himself, looking quite serene, which was great – he seemed to be tense before.

"Now, it is time to face the Chaser," Matthew said, which immediately led to excited murmurs, along with _"oohs"_ and _"ahhs"_ as everyone seemed to try and scoot closer to the stage by going to the very edge of their seats. Likewise, STARISH were now both excited yet nervous to see who the Chaser will be. "However, _who_ will you be up against today?"

"There's more than one, wasn't there?" questioned Nanami from her spot with Reiji, Ai and Ranmaru.

Reiji nodded, "That's right, kouhai-chan! There's usually four Chasers. However, I'm interested to see where this one will go!"

"According to my data, both STARISH and HEAVENS will face a different Chaser to each other," said Ai. "I suppose just to make things more interesting."

"Now, you and the other team won't share the same Chaser," Matthew explained. "Primarily because even we quiz masters need some fun, too. However, out of all the quiz masters that have appeared at our convention, we were able to pinpoint four potential Chasers."

All of a sudden, the game board suddenly raised itself up to reveal that it was glowing electric blue with splashes of orange and gold sparks as pale blue bolts were rushing downwards. The whole audience looked even more excited as the game board faced them so that they were able to see the full display of the light show.

"Who will it be?" questioned Matthew.

Suddenly, there was a whooshing noise as multiple white lines made of white light rushed down to reveal what appeared to be a silhouette before a crimson red background. From their spots backstage, STARISH leaned closer to try and get a better look. Likewise, in their own spots, HEAVENS was also inching closer.

"Will it be the Lioness, Agatha Clarkland?" inquired Matthew. "Otherwise known as Frosty Knickers. Stern and on point, she really does have guts for garters."

There was chuckling and snickering from the audience – appearing to be from fellow convention goers and other quiz masters. Reiji himself was laughing at Matthew's description, but he looked excited at hearing the name.

However, suddenly the silhouette gained a grainy composition as it revealed a rather young-looking woman. Her blonde hair was tied in two long pigtails, and she was in what appeared to be very formal attire. Lime green eyes were gazing with a bored expression back at the audience from behind a pair of thick-rimmed glasses. The scowl on her face actually made her appear much older than how she looked. She then rolled her eyes a little, looking unimpressed before her visage disappeared as Matthew announced the next potential Chaser.

"Or, will it be Nguyen Tan Quan?" wondered Matthew as another silhouette appeared before a crimson background on the game board. "The Dragon. He doesn't do small talk, but he definitely does big brains."

The silhouette revealed a man who appeared to be in his higher twenties with his dark hair framing around his sharp face. He appeared to be dressed in a white suit with a black shirt and tie. Crossing his arms over his chest as he gave a very intense look right at the audience, he raised his head up. His slanted golden eyes flashing right at them while his mouth was taut and unsmiling.

Otoya felt a bit unnerved at the gaze that the second potential Chaser was giving. That look he gave appeared far more intense than the one that Shion had given before.

Reiji meanwhile looked really eager and happy at seeing him, "It's the Dragon! I can't believe he's actually here! And the Lioness, too! This is amazing!"

"Who exactly are they?" Nanami questioned. "I mean, I know they're Chasers and quiz masters, but…well…you know?"

Understanding her however, the senior laughed, "Agatha Clarkland is part of the line-up of Chasers in _The Chase_ England. Her nickname is the Lioness."

"So they all have nicknames, huh?" Ranmaru asked, appearing bored. Still, his eyes were fixated to the stage. "That describe them, I guess?"

"Essentially," nodded Reiji. "And then that's Nguyen Tan Quan. He's from Vietnam, but after travelling around, he settled in Australia and joined the Chase there. He's known as the Dragon!"

"The Dragon, huh?" Ranmaru tilted his head slightly as he leaned back in his seat. "With the look he's giving, I can see _some_ resemblance."

This time another silhouette appeared. However, this one looked more bulky and large.

"Or perhaps it's the Phantom," Matthew said as the silhouette revealed another man in grainy pieces. "Sadik Adnan. Also known as the Masked Beast, he smiles frequently and laughs while having a good time…crushing you."

The silhouette revealed a tall, grinning man who appeared much older than the second potential Chaser. He was olive-skinned and had slight stubble on his chin. He was also wearing what appeared to be a striped, mint-green polo shirt with the sleeves rolled to the elbows and a dark, bottle-green vest. He also had a strange, white mask that obscured his eyes, however he lifted his hand up and slightly moved it to the side to reveal a pale green eye.

Reiji looked even more excited, "The Phantom is here, too?! That's brilliant!"

"You look like you're about to wet yourself," Ranmaru looked annoyed. "You got some man crush on him or something?"

"Sadik is the Chaser from Turkey," explained Reiji – his eyes glowing in excitement. "And Turkey's one of the only editions to _only_ have one Chaser!"

"One Chaser?" Nanami's eyes boggled. "So…he's the only one that they'd have to face?"

"He takes the whole lot," Reiji nodded. "It's truly brilliant! He's also probably the oldest out of all the Chasers here. He's been doing it for a while – there's a reason why he's stayed as Turkey's Chaser for a long time."

"According to my data, he ranked third in the World Stars Quizzing Championship of 2015, representing Turkey," said Ai matter-of-factly. "In 2014, he ranked fourth, and in 2013 he ranked second, while in 2012 he ranked seventh."

"That's impressive," marvelled Nanami. "What about the Lioness and the Dragon?"

"There is no data of the Dragon except for this year," said Ai.

"Well, he's a new addition," explained Reiji. "So, I wouldn't be surprised if there isn't much data on him."

"But he ranked second this year in 2015," continued Ai. "However, he represented Vietnam for that. He has partaken in other competitions such as the International Quizzler, and the Global Trivia Run. Very respectable places as well - first and fourth, respectively."

"Good luck to STARISH if they face that guy, then," Ranmaru drawled. "Sounds like they're gonna get trashed."

"Agatha Clarkland ranked fifth in 2013 for the World Stars Quizzing Championship," continue Ai. "She placed seventh in 2014, but got fourth place in 2015. But in her home country of England, she ranked first in the National British Quiz Masters Championship."

Nanami then took out her phone and started texting, "I'm just going to tell STARISH about that, and to be careful and good luck again."

"Oi, you, they'll be fine," said Ranmaru brusquely as he arched an eyebrow at the rose-haired girl.

Inside the waiting room, getting a buzz from his phone, Otoya flipped it out to see that Nanami had texted them. "It's from Nanami," he exclaimed in both surprise and delight.

"Really? What did she say?" Cecil immediately bounded over to take a look.

"She says to be careful with the Chasers," explained Otoya as he skimmed their composer's text. "Sadik Adnan ranks highly in the World Stars Quizzing Championships coming…seventh in 2012, second in 2013, fourth in 2014 and _third_ in 2015?" Otoya immediately paled as his voice squeaked out the last part.

"What?! How could we beat that, then?!" Syo looked highly incredulous.

"The others don't look any better," said Tokiya as he pointed at parts of the text, starting to look a bit tense himself. "Nguyen Tan Quan, the Dragon, ranked _second_ only this year. Agatha Clarkland got lower than them, but she still ranks in single digits, and first in her home country."

"They also only said three Chasers," remarked Natsuki. "I think there's one more."

Sure enough, there was one last silhouette as Matthew spoke up, "Or, will it be the Chessmaster, Lukas Thomassen? Hailing from Norway, this prince may have smoking hot looks, but his attitude is as chilling as a blizzard."

The final silhouette disappeared again revealing a rather handsome young man. He appeared slender with soft, silky and pale skin, as well as light blonde hair. Some of the strands of gold were held back by a barrette that was in the shape of a cross. His eyes were a dull blue as they stared back with a jaded expression. He was wearing a black suit with a while polo shirt, and there appeared to be some kind of curl.

"The Chessmaster!" Reiji marvelled. "Oooh…if they verse him, they're in for a real ride!"

Seeing Nanami turn in his direction, Ai explained, "Ranked first from 2013 on to 2015. Also an international chess champion."

"Well, they're screwed," said Ranmaru in a nonchalant manner as he leaned back a bit more in his seat. "Would definitely be one hell of a show, though."

Nanami was alarmed at hearing that. She immediately texted STARISH again, now worried at the idea of them facing what seemed to be the most intelligent quiz master in the world. Gazing back up at the image of Lukas Thomassen on the game board, she was a bit surprised at how he looked. She didn't expect the best quiz master to look like that: he was quite young and actually really attractive.

Realizing what she just thought, she shook her head and felt ashamed – now that was just mean of her to think that way. And pretty shallow and judgemental thing as well. She was surprised at herself for thinking like that for once, to which she felt upset at.

Seemingly knowing what was up, Reiji smiled in Nanami's direction as he patted her head, "Don't worry, kouhai-chan. A _lot_ of people were shocked when they saw that the best quiz master in the world for three years running was an attractive, fresh-faced European guy. Want to know something else? He's only twenty-four." He winked in Nanami's direction, "So he's an eligible bachelor."

Nanami gave a weak smile at Reiji's attempts to make her feel more at ease, but now she was very worried for STARISH. So for that, she texted them.

Getting another buzz on his phone, Otoya picked up, "Nanami sent me another message. About Lukas Thomassen."

"What does it say?" asked Cecil as he move close to look at the message.

Otoya blanched as he read the information out loud, "According to Ai-senpai's data, Lukas Thomassen has been the reigning champion of World Stars Quizzing Championship from 2013 to 2015. He's also an international chess champion."

"Hence the name," murmured Masato, now looking quite nervous. "The Chessmaster."

"How do they expect us to do this, then?" Syo looked highly incredulous. "Four extremely smart people…and one is a reigning _champion_."

"Out of the four, it looks like we don't want Lukas Thomassen to face us," said Tokiya sternly. "Matthew's description of him certainly doesn't sound that appealing."

Otoya couldn't help but feel the dramatic irony from that statement, so for that he gazed at the blue-haired idol a little bit. Apparently he wasn't the only one, as everyone else just peered at Tokiya.

Tokiya stopped and gazed back at the rest of his bandmates, "What?"

"Wouldn't it be nice for HEAVENS to face them?" Cecil asked with a laugh. "Then hopefully we can have somebody else!"

"Even if HEAVENS gets Lukas Thomassen as their Chaser, it doesn't mean that the others are pushovers," said Ren. "We still need to watch out."

"Definitely," said Syo. "Especially because the other guy, that Dragon guy, ranked second this year. And I doubt he's gonna have problems starting now."

"Oh, look," Natsuki pointed at the screen. "They're about to announce HEAVENS' Chaser, I think."

"Time for you to meet your Chaser," Matthew had a little secretive, knowing smile on his face as he this time turned towards the ramp.

The stage suddenly shifted colours from electric blue to a bright crimson as the area close to the ramp lacked lights to purposefully hide away anyone who was on the ramp. The game board was also flashing scarlet lights as it shifted back into place. Thundering footsteps were heard as the audience watched with bated breath to see a pair of dress shoes suddenly clack forward.

A large, lumbering figure was towering down as the lights were suddenly flashing in odd intervals. The wall behind the ramp suddenly glowed dangerously with red and golden lights before white lights were also shown.

Throughout all of this, Otoya felt something like dread bubble up in his being. Dread, but at the same time, awe and excitement as he saw a huge figure walk forward onto the ramp and towards what appeared to be a seat

Then just as quickly, the lights flashed brightly revealing the Chaser.

A tall, olive-skinned man was grinning from ear-to-ear as he removed the white mask that was obscuring his eyes. Once taken away though, his eyes were a pale green that sparked with eagerness. He then rubbed his hands together in mirth, looking gleefully ready for what was to come next.

The audience erupted into loud cheers, clapping and cat-calls as someone whistled from the back. A few people cheered and happily shouted encouragements in a language that Otoya had no idea what it was, but his eyes were glued to the screen as he saw the large figure come closer to a black leather seat at the top platform where the top of the game board's higher end was.

"The Phantom!" Reiji himself had cheered his lungs out upon seeing him emerge.

"That guy from Turkey," Ranmaru mused as he watched closely.

"The oldest Chaser as well," Ai murmured.

Nanami felt her heart race upon seeing the HEAVENS Chaser finally seat himself down. As soon as he sat down, the whole stage flashed white before suddenly change back to its normal electric blue motif.

As if nothing had happened.

Back in the waiting room, STARISH were just as eager yet nervously on edge upon seeing who emerged. Otoya carefully looked at his fellow bandmates to see that they were transfixed to the action displayed on screen. Syo was staring with wide eyes; Cecil gave a gulp but didn't dare look away; Natsuki adjusted his glasses with his own eyes stretched open; Masato looked nervous and was tense in his seat; Ren was surprised but intrigued; and even Tokiya appeared a little on edge.

"So, HEAVENS has Sadik Adnan as their Chaser," Ren remarked. "We could very well end up having Lukas Thomassen as ours."

"A one in four change," agreed Tokiya.

After some silence with that information running through their minds, Cecil then spoke up to try and uplift the tense atmosphere. "Yeah, and?" he piped up as he stood up straight. "We can still do it! We'll try, anyway!"

Giving a little time to contemplate, Syo nodded, "You're right. I mean, sure they're extremely smart, and…" he glanced at the Chaser from the screen who had a rather twisted looking grin. "Look pretty creepy, but we shouldn't give up just yet!"

"Let's just do our best," Natsuki smiled. "For the orphanage~!"

Otoya felt more cheered up at hearing his friends not wanting to give in, so for that, he laughed and nodded, "Definitely! We're not going to give up when we haven't even started yet!"

Tokiya meanwhile was gazing with intent silence at the screen. His sapphire eyes were fixed upon the Chaser, who appeared quite casual in his sitting posture, and was surveying Yamato up and down with a pretty wide grin. Yamato himself looked like he was ready to duke it out at any moment – appearing to fidget slightly as his orange eyes were glowing with absolute excitement and wonder.

Though it took quite a lot to get Tokiya to be unnerved, when Sadik's eyes fixed onto the camera, by extension he was leering right at him. The blue-haired idol felt a very unpleasant shiver crawl down his spine.

It felt as if those pale green eyes were looking right into his skull.

Regardless, Tokiya shook his head and just simply continued watching – now wondering how HEAVENS would handle their Chaser, and how things would go.

* * *

 **And so ends the chapter. w**

 **I actually enjoyed writing Yamato, but I really am looking forward to writing Eiji and Kira out of the HEAVENS members. OwO**

 **The HEAVENS chaser is Sadik Adnan - Turkey in Hetalia. The other Chasers are Agatha Clarkland (Nyo!England), Nguyen Tan Quan (Nyo!Vietnam) and Lukas Thomassen (Norway). As Sadik is HEAVENS' Chaser, he'll appear in the following chapters where the HEAVENS members have to face him.**

 **Will Yamato make it? Will Sadik catch him? How will HEAVENS fare, and since Sadik Adnan, a.k.a. The Phantom, is HEAVENS' Chaser, who shall be the one to face STARISH?**

 **Peace out!  
\- Hebi-Kazechi-10**


	5. HEAVENS Chase - Yamato (Part 2)

**Hey there! Just little ol' me with a new chapter. X3**

 **Anyway, HUGE thanks to** Kiwikowa **for the review! 8D**

Kiwikowa: **Yep. XD I envision him to be the type who gets really frustrated if he keeps getting things wrong since he looks pretty hot-blooded from what little we've seen of him. X3 and yes! Here are the Chasers. :D Norway isn't my favourite of the Nordics (Iceland is), but I'm still pretty fond of him, and I think if anyone would be a Chaser, it'd be him. 0w0 will he be the one to face STARISH, or will something else happen~? ;3 and yes, the best of luck to HEAVENS for facing one of the older characters in Hetalia. XD**

 **The Chase is on!**

* * *

"It is the Phantom himself," announced Matthew as he brought Yamato closer to the game board. "It is Sadik Adnan."

"Hello there, Yamato!" Sadik's voice boomed out from his higher place at the other end of the game board.

Otoya almost jumped out of his skin – it was a very loud voice that came from the large man, and it roared like thunder. Syo and Cecil also looked like they jumped. Natsuki had perked up while Masato suddenly sat up even straighter. Even Tokiya appeared a bit rattled from the man's voice. Ren was the only one who didn't seem to react, but instead was watching more interestedly.

"Yo, Phantom!" Yamato greeted back as he looked up at the Turkish Chaser.

"And hello to you, Matthew!" Sadik called down to the Canadian host.

"Hello there, Sadik," responded Matthew pleasantly as he waved. "Well, not bad for the first person of the night, don't you think?" he gestured at Yamato who seemed to puff up in pride.

"Gotta admit – pretty impressive for a kid," agreed Sadik as he gave a nod – grin still present on his face. "If you're first up, maybe I'll have a pretty good match today. Now, I already see he's pretty fast. Thought you were all bark and no bite, but let's see if I can make you kiss the canvas real quick."

"Yeah? Well, I'm ready!" Yamato had raised his fists up in what appeared to be a boxing position. "I'm ready for the fight! Let's do this already!"

"Let's do this already, indeed," Matthew smiled as he gestured to the game board. "Now, let's put some money on the table." The seven panels on the game board glowed a dark indigo before it became electric blue again. On the third panel from the top, which was a dark blue compared to the other panels, Yamato's amount of one million six hundred thousand yen was seen. "There you go, Yamato, your one million six hundred thousand yen."

Yamato nodded at seeing his amount. He gazed intensely at it.

"If you wish to take a step _closer_ to home," said Matthew. "The Chaser will offer you…"

"I'm sure you're too good to take three hundred thousand yen," Sadik taunted with a smirk.

Yamato gave a grin himself at the remark, now feeling the fire erupt inside of him. Now, he was more eager to beat this guy and get the money home for Kira and his cause. The amount of three hundred thousand yen appeared on the fourth panel, and below blonde HEAVENS member's original winnings.

"But if you want to take a step _closer_ to the Chaser," said Matthew. "Then he will offer you…"

"How about a few jabs in the opening round?" Sadik cackled as he leaned back in his seat. "Two million eight hundred thousand yen!"

"How about that?" remarked Matthew. "Two million eight hundred thousand yen." The amount appeared on the panel above Yamato's original winnings. "Now, why don't you have a chat with your team?"

Yamato turned to face his teammates at their seven-seated table, "Well…what do you guys think?"

"We already discussed this before," said Eiji now a little worried. "Just get back here."

"Yeah," agreed Van, though he looked pretty excited. "Don't wanna get _too_ cocky."

"But if you're really confident in your own skills," this time Eiichi spoke up as his glasses flashed a little when he pushed them back onto their perch. "I don't see why you wouldn't want to play for the higher offer."

"But Yamato messed up on several questions in the cash builder," piped up Nagi. "Just stay with your amount – three hundred thousand is too little!"

"Yeah, you'd know about little," smirked Yamato as he teased the youngest HEAVENS member. Nagi pouted, but didn't say anything. However, the blonde turned to face Kira, "What about you, Kira? What do you think?"

Kira was gazing at the game board intently – his pale yellow eyes narrowed slightly. His eyes then fixed onto Sadik who simply watched everything in what appeared to be amusement. After some contemplation, the dark-haired idol murmured, "I want you for the Final Chase."

Back in the waiting room, STARISH were starting to wonder themselves if Yamato was going to go for the larger offer and thus closer to the Chaser, or stay with his original winnings. They knew that since the hot-blooded blonde was so prideful, there was no way he'd go for the lower offer.

"Do you think he'll play for the larger amount?" questioned Otoya.

"No idea," said Syo. "But I wouldn't be surprised. He is pretty full of himself."

"Perhaps," noted Masato. "But it seems he is taking Sumeragi-san's words on board."

And sure enough, Yamato nodded as he turned back to the game board, "Yeah? Well, though I'd definitely want to try the larger offer, I'm not stupid. I screwed up on so many questions in the cash builder, and the Final Chase needs me, so gonna stick to it!"

Sadik's grin seemed to stretch even wider on his face, which appeared very unnerving. It almost looked like a jack-o'-lantern's beam.

"Alright then, Yamato," Matthew nodded as the amounts of three hundred thousand and two million eight hundred thousand were wiped away from the board. The board became a dark indigo colour as Matthew nodded in Yamato's direction as he raised a hand, "Good luck to you, I'm with you all the way."

"Let's do this!" Yamato declared as he grabbed Matthew's hand and appeared pumped.

"For one million six hundred thousand, the Chase is _on_!" announced Matthew.

The auditorium was filled with all of the applause, cheering, shouting, cat-calling and other various positive noises when the stage's lights suddenly wavered in a pattern before settling down on a dark indigo to highlight a more serious atmosphere. Everyone hushed when suddenly the question mark behind Sadik glowed a very intense scarlet red. There were electric blue lights that glowed and pulsed like a heartbeat at the bottom of the back wall.

"Now, here comes your first question," said Matthew. Another panel appeared for the audience that displayed the question and three options. "What was the job of Will Somers in the Court of Henry VIII? Was it a) Astronomer, b) Jester, or c) Physician?"

"Henry VIII?" Otoya looked at Masato. "Didn't you read about him, Masato?"

"I did…" said Masato slowly. "But it did not mention of a person of such name."

"So basically, your reading was pointless, then," Ren smirked. Masato looked affronted, but simply gave him a sharp glare.

Sadik however pressed one of the buttons pretty quickly. Yamato on the other hand was staring down at the three buttons in front of him that had A, B and C on them. After licking his lips, he pressed one.

"You put," Matthew announced as a _'ding'_ sounded and the answer Yamato chose was displayed for all to see. "A, astronomer."

Yamato shrugged, "I dunno…I was never good with History. Complete guess."

"The correct answer is…" suddenly, the answer of Jester lit up in green. Yamato grit his teeth a little as he felt the pressure come back. "B, jester." The Canadian host reassured the HEAVENS member, "Don't worry! Perhaps the Chaser got it wrong, too. Let's see what the Chaser has put."

A chime sounded as what appeared to be a glowing red border flashed around the answer of b) Jester.

"Oooh," Matthew shook his head. "And the Chaser takes a step onto the board." As he said that, the first panel from the top suddenly changed to a bright red with a black arrow pointing right at Yamato. Yamato's whole posture was rigid, but he gazed at the arrow with an intense expression.

"Will Sommers was in the King's service for the rest of Henry's life," said Sadik, looking pretty smug at Yamato's wrong answer. "He also humiliated the juggler by throwing milk in his face."

"That jester sounds like a jerk," scowled Syo.

"Looks like Hyuga-san will be in trouble if he keeps that performance up," remarked Masato.

"The Chaser answered quite quickly, too!" agreed Cecil, looking pretty marvelled at the sight.

"Now, onto the next question!" announced Matthew. "The technique _'flying scissors'_ is found in which martial arts? A) Muay Thai, b) Aikido, or c) Vovinam?"

This time, Yamato appeared more confident as he pressed the button. Likewise, Sadik also pressed a button in rapid succession.

"You put c, Vovinam," stated Matthew. "You do martial arts?"

"Yep," Yamato looked really proud. "Judo and Tae Kwon Do."

"Impressive," complimented Matthew sincerely. "The correct answer is…" C for Vovinam lit up green. "Very good! So now you take a step _away_ from the Chaser," said Matthew as Yamato's amount moved down a panel and closer to home. "Let's see what the Chaser has put."

Hearing the chime and seeing the red border around c) Vovinam, Sadik's red panel moved forward – still getting closer to Yamato.

"Considering one of my friends is a Vietnamese who actually _does_ do Vovinam," said Sadik. "If I got this question wrong, he'd probably do the flying scissors on me during this convention." There were some snickers from the audience at the Turkish Chaser's comment. "And don't think he can't, either just because he's shorter than me."

"I know he can definitely do that," laughed Matthew.

"' _During this convention'_?" echoed Cecil in surprise.

"He's probably talking about Nguyen Tan Quan," said Tokiya matter-of-factly. "The Dragon."

"Who composed the ballets Sleeping Beauty, and The Nutcracker?" questioned Matthew. "Was it a) Tchaikovsky, b) Rimsky-Korsakov, or c) Lyapunov?"

Once more, Sadik was fast on the button. However, the little smile on Yamato's face was stretching out as he pressed his own answer. He looked quite confident with the answer he locked in, too.

"You put, a, Tchaikovsky," said Matthew. "Would you happen to be a fan of ballet?"

Yamato laughed, "Not me, but Kira likes the music!"

Back at the HEAVENS table, Van was chuckling while Nagi giggled. Several members of the audience were snickering, while others were cooing and appeared quite intrigued with that piece of info. Kira himself remained silent and impassive. He was simply staring at everything going on.

"And the correct answer is, a) Tchaikovsky," said Matthew. "And take another step away from the Chaser. Now, let's see what the Phantom has put." When the answer of Tchaikovsky was also lighting up, Sadik's panel moved down as well. "He still continues his haunting."

Everyone started to laugh a bit at the pun-related joke – Sadik included.

"Sangha monks and nuns are found in which religion? A) Taoism, b) Buddhism, or c) Confucianism," asked Matthew.

This time, Yamato looked to be deep in thought. He was rubbing at his chin as he narrowed his orange eyes a little. Sadik however pressed his answer just as quickly as he did previously. He still had that rather unnerving grin on his face, too.

"You'll have to lock in something quickly, Yamato," Matthew reminded the youngster.

Yamato slowly reached out his arm and pressed one of the buttons before scratching his head.

"You put, b) Buddhism," said Matthew. "Was it a guess?"

Yamato made gestures with his hands as if they were scales that were tipping on each side, "Eh…kinda? Sorta?" He then turned his head around and called, "Yo, Shion! Aren't you a Buddhist?"

Shion simply gave him a blank look.

Either way, Yamato snorted at the lack of response, which caused members of the audience to laugh and giggle, "Pffftt…well, I _thought_ he was Buddhist, anyway. He could be Taoist for all I freaking know. But yeah…" he shrugged. "Another guess…"

"But you had something to go from instead of being in the dark," said Matthew kindly. "The answer is…"

When b) Buddhism flashed green, Yamato pumped his fist before bouncing on his heels a bit. Members of the audience seemed quite happy for his successful guess, too.

Likewise, Matthew appeared pretty happy for that, too. "Really good guess! And now you take another step away from the Chaser. Let's see what he's put down." The red border flashed around b) Buddhism as well, and the red panel moved down again.

"I'm starting to wonder if you're going to guess your way out of this," Sadik jeered in Yamato's direction.

Yamato simply smirked, "A win is still a win!"

"Well, you're only two steps away from home," said Matthew. "So, let's continue on with the good run! Onto the next question. "Karakul, Texel and Romney Marsh are different kinds of what animal? A) Goat, b) Cow, or c) Sheep."

This time, Sadik was rubbing at his stubbled chin while Yamato was glaring down at the buttons, trying to think of a good guess. Regardless, the Chaser locked in his answer first while Yamato was now starting to sweat again. After shaking his head, he locked in an answer, too.

"You put," Matthew looked as it revealed what the HEAVENS member chose as an answer. "A, goat."

"No freaking clue," Yamato shook his head. "Maybe Kira might know, but he ain't the one playing."

"The correct answer is…c, sheep," said Matthew when the respected answer lit up in green. Yamato was shaking his head as he started scratching at his head again. "Our Chaser has put…"

Sadik's grin suddenly grew wider when it was revealed he chose correctly, and so the red panel was directly behind the one with Yamato's earnings on it.

"He's closed the gap now and directly behind you," said Matthew.

"Let's see if you can survive the last stretch," Sadik taunted, his green eyes were glowing in glee.

Yamato was able to stretch a smile onto his face, however from the sweat that gathered at the sides of his head, and the way he shuffled a little in his spot, he was definitely feeling the pressure again.

"If he gets one more wrong," said Masato. "Then he loses and is eliminated."

"And he still has two more steps to go," stated Tokiya.

"Think he'll make it?" questioned Ren.

"At this rate, he's just been making lucky guesses," said Syo as he rolled his eyes. "I wouldn't be surprised if he got caught."

"Will he still be lucky, do you think?" Cecil appeared to be enjoying the display so far.

"Maybe," said Otoya, unsure. He felt completely on edge just watching right now, and he anticipated the answers that the Chaser put. So far, the Chaser got no questions wrong, and just kept moving forward. "I guess we just need to keep one step ahead. That's it."

"It appears to be all luck," agreed Masato.

"The rest of HEAVENS don't look so happy right now," said Ren.

The camera had indeed shot to the HEAVENS table and sure enough, most of them looked really on edge. Eiji was extremely tense and worried; Van was leaning more forward in his seat; Nagi was bouncing a little in his seat with his hands clapped over his mouth; Kira's hands had formed into fists. Shion and Eiichi were the only ones who didn't look so fazed from Yamato's predicament.

"I don't blame them," said Otoya. "If any of us were in that situation, I'd be pretty worried, too."

"It's still continuing," marvelled Natsuki – he probably looked the calmest out of the group besides Ren. "Let's see if he'll be okay."

"The Twilight saga of movies is based on the novels by which author? A) Stephanie Meyer, b) Suzanne Collins, or c) J.K. Rowling."

This time, Yamato pressed the button quite quickly – his eyes widening in instant recognition. Sadik simply arched an eyebrow before locking in. The Turkish man appeared intrigued that the young contestant had locked in before him.

"A pretty fast one," said Matthew. "You put…a, Stephanie Meyer."

"Not proud I know this one," Yamato shook his head, looking pretty disgusted.

"But how come you have one of the books in your dorm, Yamato?" questioned Nagi innocently.

"Wha-?! No, I don't!" snapped Yamato as he instantly rounded on his younger teammate. "The hell are you talking about?!" The audience cracked up as did Sadik who gave bark-like laughter and clapped his large hands.

"Yes, you do," Van joined in – eyes twinkling cheekily before he winked in Yamato's direction. Nagi was giggling uncontrollably.

Yamato visibly snarled as his nostrils flared – he looked bizarrely wolf-like. To Nanami, the blonde HEAVENS member's sudden posture and appearance reminded her of a certain silver-haired rocker. So for that reason, she couldn't help but gaze in Ranmaru's direction before her eyes peered back and forth between him and Yamato.

Ranmaru noticed that Nanami was looking at him, which prompted him to snort, "The hell are you looking at?"

Nanami immediately looked away, but Reiji laughed, "Haha! I agree with you, kouhai-chan! There _is_ some resemblance!"

"Well, anyway, let's see the correct answer!" called Matthew to divert Yamato's attention away from his fellow bandmates.

"I'll get you _after_ this," Yamato warned as he made a fighting gesture in Nagi and Van's directions. However, he nodded when it was revealed his answer was correct, and so he was going one step forward.

"The Phantom's answer is…"

Getting it correct once more and again moving right behind Yamato's amount, Sadik was chuckling, "So you're a fan of it? Wow. I wonder which end – Twihard or are you part of the camp who thinks it's so bad it's good?"

"Neither, I _hate_ the damn thing," spat Yamato, now looking irate. "Next question!"

"Glad to," said Matthew with a weak smile. "You need to answer this question correctly to make it home and put your winnings in your team's cash pot. But if you get it wrong, then it's game over for you, Yamato. Unless if the Chaser gets it wrong."

"And I doubt that," said Syo. "He got nothing wrong so far!"

"He's really smart," agreed Cecil. "I wonder what's going to happen with this last question. Will he get caught, or will he make it?"

"Perhaps the final question," said Matthew. "How many Disney princesses are there in the current official line-up? Is it a) 11, b) 12 or C) 15?"

It looked like Yamato may have had an idea with what the answer was, as his eyes widened and flashed with recognition again. Sadik himself appeared to be deep in thought, but he buzzed in first. Then, much to everyone's surprise, Yamato started counting on his fingers as he began mumbling to himself. After a quick count, he then locked in his own answer.

"You look like you might know this one," said Matthew. "You put down…a for eleven."

Yamato nodded as he this time took a deep breath and raised his now clasped hands up. He then rubbed his hands together and swung his arms a little, now looking pretty nervous. Considering his situation right now, it was no surprise – it was all or nothing.

"The answer is…" Matthew then turned to the question.

Everyone watched in eager anticipation to see if the question would either make or break the HEVENS member right there. The lights were flashing in a strange pattern akin to that of a pulse. The other members of HEAVENS were watching closely from their spots with bated breath; STARISH were still on edge as their eyes were glued to the screen; and from where she was, Nanami had her own hands clapped over her mouth, while Reiji looked excited. Ai was simply staring, while Ranmaru looked interested.

That was when the answer Yamato picked flashed green.

Immediately, the audience gave loud whoops, cheers and applause as Yamato himself roared in triumph, _"Yes!"_ before punching the air. The whole stage flashed electric blue as Yamato's earnings of one million six hundred thousand yen suddenly flashed onto the front of the table where HEAVENS was sitting at. The amount was on proud display in white lettering.

"Well played," praised Matthew as he extended a hand to Yamato. "Well done!" Yamato eagerly grabbed Matthew's hand and shook it vigorously, which seemed to slightly rattle the Canadian host. However, he quickly regained him composure and adjusted his glasses, "Very good! Chaser?"

Sadik shrugged, "Looks like Lady Luck was on your side the whole time, kid, so nothing I could do about it. But…this _is_ the warm-up match." He grinned wickedly, "Now the fight is _on_."

"Still won, anyway!" Yamato taunted with a jeer.

Sadik cackled, "You may have escaped me in this one, but in the Final Chase, will I stop haunting you?"

"Indeed," Matthew nodded. "So, we'll move on to Round 2. Yamato, please take your seat, and once more, thank you very much."

"Thanks!" Yamato nodded in Matthew's direction as he was cracking at his knuckles and neck before returning to his seat. His bandmates looked pretty happy, too. Eiji was patting his shoulder, while Van and Nagi congratulated him. Shion simply nodded as did Eiichi, while Kira dipped his head in respect to him.

"I can't believe that guy made it," Syo looked highly incredulous. "Great…now his ego's gonna be worse than before…hell, HEAVENS are gonna gloat about it now…"

"I can't believe he made it through, either," agreed Ren. "But maybe the Chaser's right – perhaps he's just lucky."

"Well, hopefully luck will shine on us, too," said Cecil.

"One through so far," said Matthew. "And now we're going to move on to the next contestant, Eiji Ootori."

From his spot, Eiji gave a small smile as he bowed his head a little, looking a little timid. He then got up from his seat as the audience cheered for the younger of the Ootori brothers. There were a couple of high-pitched squeals and shrieks in delight in his direction as he walked to the circle that Yamato had stood on earlier.

"Raging Ootori's second son is about to play," said Tokiya as his eyes narrowed at the brunette.

"I get the suspicion that he will fare well," said Masato. "At least, he will be more composed than Hyuga-san, I would think."

Otoya nodded, "Let's just wait and see."

* * *

 **So our first member of HEAVENS is able to make it. Will the next one? OwO**

 **Admittedly, I'm looking forward to the next one because it'll be Eiji, and I'm interested in writing him. X3**

 **How will Eiji Ootori, the second son of Raging Ootori and younger brother of Eiichi, handle the Chaser? Will he be able to handle the pressure, or will he crack?**

 **Thoughts are much appreciated. =^^=**

 **Peace out!  
\- Hebi-Kazechi-10**


	6. HEAVENS Chase - Eiji

**And here comes another chapter coming you way! X3**

 **This time, with the second member of HEAVENS, the letter E, Eiji Ootori! :D**

 **Anyway, HUGE thanks to** twenteenth **for the review! 8D**

twenteenth: **D'aww, thank you so much~! X3 I had this idea in my head for a long time, so I just had to write it down. :D I try my best with the characters, but for the new HEAVENS members (Yamato, Eiji, Shion and Van), I have to use my own interpretation to what I think they're like, which might not end up being right when Season 4 comes out. TT7TT STARISH will have their go eventually, but it'll be one hell of a ride. OwO**

 **Now, without further ado, the Chase is on!**

* * *

"And next to face the Chaser is Eiji," announced Matthew as he smiled warmly at the youngster. "Hello, Eiji."

"Hello," responded Eiji as he bowed his head in respect.

"In your brief introduction, you said you like video games and music?" Matthew said as he noticed that despite his calm appearance, he also seemed nervous. "What kind of video games do you like?"

"Oh, well…" Eiji smiled softly. "I'm more into RPG's, but I also like Visual novels from time-to-time."

"RPG's, right?" Matthew looked happy to hear that. "So, Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest?"

Eiji nodded, looking more eager, "I'm a big fan of both. I also like the Tales and Atelier series. But, I'm perfectly fine playing other games."

"Well, let's build up some cash to see if there might be a gaming party afterwards," said Matthew, which prompted a chuckle to come out of the purple-eyed brunette. "Quick fire questions against the clock. Good luck, Eiji."

Eiji dipped his head down as he murmured, "Thank you."

"Your time…starts…now!" said Matthew. "What continent has the fewest flowering plants?"

"Antarctica," said Eiji. His hands were now clasped together at his front. However, his violet eyes were a little stretched as he started the game.

"Correct," Matthew smiled as two hundred thousand was added. "What is the minimum number of musicians a band must have to be considered a _'big band'_?"

"Ten," replied Eiji.

"Correct! What Italian astronomer invented the thermometer in 1592?"

"A-ah…" Eiji's eyes widened a little, however after some thought, he replied uncertainly, "Galileo…?"

"Correct! What type of animal is a skink?"

"A lizard," Eiji calmed down a bit, looking a little more confident.

"Correct!"

"He's pretty good," remarked Otoya as he watched in awe at the violet-eyed brunette. "He hasn't gotten anything wrong yet."

"Definitely seems like a force to reckon with," agreed Masato, also appearing quite impressed.

"What is the largest and densest of the four rocky planets?" questioned Matthew.

"Earth?" Eiji looked uncertain, but he felt more reassured when he was told his answer was correct.

"How many questions has he got right so far?" wondered Syo – blue eyes widening at the brunette on screen as well.

"Five," responded Tokiya. His indigo eyes narrowing into a scowl as he watched closely at Eiji's cash builder round.

"And no mistakes so far, too!" praised Cecil. However he added, "But I'm sure we can do it!"

"Hartsfield international airport is in which U.S. state?" asked Matthew.

This time, Eiji's eyes widened a little. "A-ah…" he bit his bottom lip. "Um…" he inwardly curled a little before answering in a questioning tone, "California?"

"Georgia," corrected Matthew.

"There you go, his first slip-up," remarked Ren. "Took him five questions. I wonder if he'll just slip up or continue getting things right."

"What fruit in the world is the only one that has its seeds on the outside?" asked Matthew.

"The…the strawberry," stammered out Eiji.

"Correct," nodded Matthew. "In what decade of the 1900's was Yoko Ono born?"

"Thirties?" responded Eiji, again his tone uncertain.

"Correct!" Matthew was smiling reassuringly at the HEAVENS member.

"He still has one minutes, too," murmured Otoya. "And now it's seven questions right…" He just couldn't help but watch in awe. Everyone else just wordlessly watched.

"What device is used to record earthquakes?" inquired Matthew.

"A seismograph," replied Eiji, appearing confident with his answer.

"Correct," said Matthew. "When there are two full moons in the same month, what is the second one called?"

"A blue moon," said Eiji with a nod of his head.

"Correct. One tablespoon is equal to how many teaspoons?"

"Three."

"Correct! In which country is the Rose of Tralee Festival?"

This time, Eiji looked taken aback. His eyes widened a little before he appeared to try and think for a proper guess. This time, his pale purple eyes darted to the timer which showed that twenty-five seconds were remaining. However, after biting his bottom lip again, he shook his head and said quickly, "Pass…"

"Ireland," said Matthew. "What is the largest living bird?"

"The ostrich," said Eiji as sweat started to appear at the sides of his head. His grip on his own clasped hands started to become so tight, that the knuckles were also appearing very white.

"Correct!"

"He's definitely feeling the pressure," remarked Tokiya. "You can just tell."

"He's taking it well, though," said Otoya. "He's still answering questions correctly."

"What is the name of the volcano that destroyed Pompeii?" asked Matthew as the timer was running down even more.

"Mt Vesuvius," answered back Eiji as again, his eyes were darting to the timer.

"Correct! What it the capital of India?"

"Delhi!" said Eiji.

" _New_ Delhi," corrected Matthew. Eiji looked mortified at his mistake, but paid attention as Matthew asked the next question as there were this time only seven seconds left on the clock, "In what year was the first World Cup?"

Sadly, as Eiji opened his mouth to answer, a loud horn was blaring to signify that the timer had finally reached zero. Regardless, giving a sheepish smile, the youngest son of Raging Ootori answered, "1930?"

"That is correct," agreed Matthew. "But sadly, since the timer ran out, we can't accept that answer." Eiji nodded in understanding as the Canadian host smiled and remarked, "But Eiji…what a performance! _Twelve_ questions correct, and so as a result, you picked up two million four hundred thousand yen."

Eiji dipped his head, looking quite satisfied with himself, but a bit embarrassed at the praise as well. "Thank you," was all that he could say as the audience agreed – cheering and clapping happily at his success. There were some delighted squealing from some girls at a particular section of the audience, and they looked giddy with excitement and delight at how many he got right. Likewise, the rest of HEAVENS looked excited and pumped at Eiji's success. Yamato was pumping his fist up while Nagi was clapping. Van gave a salute, Kira bowed his head in Eiji's direction, and, to everyone else's surprise, what appeared to be a little smile spread out on Shion's pale face.

The only one who looked less than happy was Eiichi, whose face was simply impassive. However, he _did_ clap for his little brother, though.

"Very good," Matthew smiled.

Eiji nodded, "Yes…" he wiped the sweat from his head with the back of his hand.

"Now there's only one thing standing in your way," said Matthew more seriously. "And that is the Chaser."

The stage started to glow scarlet red as white and yellow lights were also flashing as Sadik's huge, lumbering figure was viewed from the ramp. As he emerged onstage, the audience applauded his presence in wonder. Eiji meanwhile blanched as the Turkish man came closer and finally set himself down on his seat. The HEAVENS member swallowed a lump that gathered in his throat as he started to feel extremely nervous. The lights then flashed one last time before settling to a dark indigo with electric blue lights pulsing at the ground on the stage.

"Hello there, Eiji," Sadik said with a proud expression.

"H-hello there, Sadik," Eiji was able to stammer out. He cleared his throat as he regained his composure.

"Well, you certainly look like a deer caught in headlights right now," observed Sadik as he raised his head. He gave a smirk, "Losing your nerve facing me?"

Eiji admitted, "Well…you are kinda intimidating…"

"Intimidating, huh?" Sadik cackled. "And what exactly about me is intimidating? Is it my eyes? My stare? My build? My voice?" on the last statement, his voice boomed throughout the auditorium.

"All of the above," responded Eiji with a weak smile.

Sadik then rubbed his hands together as he chuckled, "If you want some reassurance, despite looking like a frightened rabbit, you did way better than the lucky tiger over there. This one'll probably be more amusing. But continuing on from the last round, you're cruising for a bruising, boy!"

Matthew called, "Well, we shall see right now. Put some money on the table, your amount will be three steps ahead. If you want to go one step closer to home, then the Chaser will offer you…"

"Will you flee from me?" Sadik had put a hand on his hip as he leaned forward a bit in his seat. "Nine hundred thousand yen."

"But if you want to take a step _closer_ to the Chaser," said Matthew. "Then he'll offer you…"

"Perhaps this might get you pumping," said Sadik. "Four million yen."

Back in the waiting room, Syo's jaw dropped, "Four million?! That's a lot!"

"Well, he did better than that brute before did," said Cecil, looking quite awed himself. "So that's why!"

"Will he take it?" wondered Natsuki absentmindedly.

"I don't think so," surprisingly it was Tokiya who said it. "I don't think he has the nerve to do such a thing."

"He _does_ look frightened of Sadik," noted Masato. "Or at the very least, quite unnerved by him. But, I do not blame him at all."

Ren smirked, "You're scared of the Chaser?"

Masato gave a sharp glare, before Otoya rubbed his chin and stated, "I think he'll just stick to what he won."

"You don't think he'll go lower?" questioned Cecil curiously. "He looks pretty shaken by their Chaser."

Here, Otoya shook his head, "No, I don't think so. HEAVENS are here to play for a good cause, too – they'll need all the money they can."

Eiji's tilted his head with widened eyes at the huge offer that showed on the game board. He then turned to his fellow bandmates, "Well…what do you think?"

"That's a _crap_ ton of money," said Yamato.

Van whistled, "I'll say. Very tempting."

"And it's closer to the desired amount, right, Kira?" Nagi looked at the dark-haired idol beside him.

Kira wordlessly nodded, but he didn't look so convinced at the higher offer Sadik had given. He gazed intensely into Eiji's eyes. Pale yellow against pale violet. Eiji stared back a little bit before speaking up, "It's just that…I _did_ struggle with some of the questions, and I know it's better for all of us to reach the Final Chase."

"Look, if you're confident you can do it, just do it," cut in Eiichi a bit brusquely as he gave an annoyed sigh. "If you can't, then that's fine, too. We'll just build up the amount. If you survive, good! So we have a better chance in the Final Chase. If you get eliminated, whatever – someone else can try risking for the higher amount."

Eiji was surprised at his older brother interrupting, but gave a soft smile, "Yes, you're quite right, aniki." He then bowed his head, "Thank you, guys." Turning back to the game board and Sadik, he responded, "Look, I think four million yen is a nice offer, but…I'm gonna stick to my original amount, thank you, Sadik."

Sadik guffawed, "Ha! Well, colour me impressed. I honestly thought you'd take the lower offer. Good to see you've got more balls than I credit you for, kid!"

Matthew shook his head, but smiled in Eiji's direction, "Eiji, are you ready?"

Eiji gave a single nod – this time looking more determined, "Yes, I'm ready."

"I wish you luck."

"Thank you," Eiji smiled softly, and felt reassured.

"For two million four hundred thousand yen, the Chase is _on_!" declared Matthew.

When the audience cheered once more, the stage flashed its lights again before finally darkening to set a more tense and serious atmosphere. The question mark behind Sadik glowed an intense red again.

"Again, good luck," said Matthew. "Here's your first question. "What does the German word _'schloss'_ mean? Is it a) Castle, b) Garden, or c) Mountain?"

Much to everyone's surprise, Eiji pressed the button faster than Sadik. Even Sadik looked a bit surprised, but the wicked grin immediately spread out on his face at the sight. The fire in his pale green eyes was ablaze.

"You put," Matthew looked at Eiji's answer. "A) Castle. Can you speak German?"

Eiji shook his head, "No, I can't, but I do know someone who can."

"So you're happy with that, then?"

"Yes," the brunette nodded, starting to feel more confident.

"The correct answer is…" Matthew motioned to the question. When a) Castle flashed green, Eiji smiled as he moved forward. "Good! You get to take a step forward. Now, the Chaser has put…" Upon the flash of a red border around a) Castle as well, Matthew nodded, "Yep, castle."

The red panel of the Chaser appeared onto the board. Eiji stared at it with a thoughtful expression as he took a deep breath.

"Next question, let's go," said Matthew. "What is the largest UK bird of prey? A) Red kite, b) Tawny owl, or C) White-tailed eagle."

This time, it was Sadik who locked in an answer first. Eiji was rubbing at his chin as he scowled, though it appeared to be more from contemplation rather than annoyance or pressure. The second HEAVENS member followed suit soon after.

"You put, c) White-tailed eagle," said Matthew. "Know anything about the UK? Ever been there before?"

Eiji this time blushed a little, "No, I haven't. It's just a more of a guess. Because I'm pretty sure eagles are larger than owls. Not sure about kites, but I don't think they're that large, either…"

"Sounds pretty legitimate," Matthew nodded. "The correct answer is…" Upon the green on option c, Eiji gave a sigh of relief. "C) White-tailed eagle! A very good, educated guess! Now, let's see what the Chaser put."

"He'll get it right," sighed Eiji with a weak smile on his face.

And indeed, the brunette was right.

"Just cruising along," said Sadik. "Should've played for my higher offer, kid."

Eiji shook his head, "Still lots of time for it to go wrong."

"Have to be confident, Eiji," Matthew piped up as he patted the boy's shoulder. "Don't think negative thoughts."

Though admittedly a bit surprised by the Canadian host's words, Eiji _did_ feel a bit better, so he nodded, "Yes. Yes, you're right."

Otoya couldn't help but feel pretty sorry for the shy purple-eyed brunette. With what he said right then, coupled with how Eiichi had treated him before, and how he spoke to him onstage in regards on whether Eiji should go for the bigger money or not, the redhead felt really bad for him. He wondered if Eiichi loved to pick on, ignore or treat his younger brother harshly on a daily basis or something, and if he got a kick from it. Otoya mused that he wouldn't be surprised if Eiichi _did_ get a kick out of being unpleasant to his own brother. He wasn't sure if Raging Ootori partook in such actions, but Otoya sincerely hoped not.

"Now, onto the next question!" Matthew said. "Crème brûlée is also known as what cream? A) Burnt, b) Fresh, or c) Baked."

This time, both Eiji and Sadik locked in at what appeared to be the same time. Sadik arched an eyebrow down at the timid boy before smirking. Eiji simply looked back up at him.

"You put, a, burnt," said Matthew.

"I do cook a bit," said Eiji. "I haven't made one before, though…"

From the audience, some girls appeared to be quite giddy and giggly, and were sighing at the idea of the HEAVENS member cooking for them. Nanami noticed it, and couldn't help but find their expressions funny, which prompted her to try and hide her chuckle. She covered her mouth with one of her dainty hands.

Ranmaru noticed however, and looked. Seeing what made her laugh, he snorted before smirking himself, "Tch…"

"The correct answer is…" when a) Burnt was glowing green, Eiji simply looked at the game board as his amount moved closer. Matthew nodded, "You're almost there, Eiji. Just two more steps before you reach home." The Canadian host then raised his arm, "The Chaser has put…"

When the red border also glowed around a) Burnt, the red panel moved forward.

Sadik then cackled, "You're talking to a sweet chef and certified gourmet here! Of course I'd know what it is! And they're _delicious_." He licked his lips, "Haven't had one in a while. Maybe I should make one after…"

"That sounds nice," said Matthew pleasantly. "May I join you?"

"Be sure to bring in your garlic and holy water," joked Sadik. However the way he said it, and how serious he looked made Eiji feel highly uncomfortable.

"Now, onto the next question!" said Matthew, feeling a little bad for the boy with him appearing nervous. "Cheilitis is inflammation of what part of the body? Is it a) Earlobes, b) Fingers, or c) Lips."

"Who even _knows_ this stuff?" demanded Syo with a groan. "You gotta be a brainiac or inhuman to know this stuff!"

"Well, I guess Eiji Ootori is inhuman, then," said Masato as he pointed. "He just locked in an answer."

"You've put lips," said Matthew. "And you move another step forward! The Chaser has put…also lips."

"Definitely knew it wouldn't be fingers," said Sadik. "That would be dactylitis."

"Well, that proves it," Cecil sighed. "The Chaser is not human…"

Matthew was smiling in Eiji's direction, "You're only one step until you're home, Eiji! Just keep going smoothly, and you'll be fine!"

Eiji weakly smiled again, starting to feel the twisting in his stomach reappear as his heart thumped rapidly in his chest.

"Now, onto the next question," said Matthew. " _Dead man's hand'_ in poker has two aces and two of what other card? A) Eight, b) Nine, or c) Ten."

Eiji this time looked really unsure. Again, he was scowling as he appeared to be thinking. Sadik for once also appeared to be thinking as well. Still, he locked in before the HEAVENS member. After some thought, Eiji also pressed an answer.

"You put, c) Ten," said Matthew.

"I don't play poker," said Eiji. "Kira and Van do, though…"

"The answer is…" Matthew motioned to the question.

But instead of c) Ten lighting up in green, it was a) Eight. Eiji's visibly flinched at getting the question wrong. There were some dramatic gasps and worried squeals from some girls in the audience.

"He finally got something wrong!" Syo looked astonished.

"He did," Cecil also looked pretty amazed. "But did the Chaser get it right?"

The prince was answered by a red border around a) Eight. Sadik's red arrow moved even closer – a panel separating him and Eiji's earnings.

"If the Chaser continues not getting things wrong," said Masato. "Then Ootori-san has two more chances. Otherwise, it will be game over."

"It's okay," Matthew reassured Eiji as he smiled encouragingly in his direction. "I know you can do it! Just take a deep breath, and go. Onto the next question. What are the Parasites in the UK indie game, The Cat Lady? Are they a) Insects, b) People, or c) Monsters."

Eiji's eyes glowed in recognition as they widened a bit – he looked really pumped with the question for some reason. Instantly, he leaned over and pressed the button. Sadik appeared amused at the boy's sudden change of demeanour.

"You put, b) People," said Matthew.

"I _have_ played the game," said Eiji. "But my English isn't good compared to others in HEAVENS, so while I played, Kira translated to me what's going on." From the way his pale purple eyes were twinkling, it appeared that he seemed to really like the game.

Everyone was gazing in Kira's direction. The dark-haired idol remained silent as he simply watched Eiji's performance against the Chaser.

"That's great," Matthew clapped his hands. "Sorry, Sadik," he apologized in the Turkish man's direction.

Sadik gave a chuckle however, as b) People flashed green. The stage then lit up once more as splashes of electric blue burst out throughout the stage – lighting it up once more. The audience applauded Eiji's success as his amount was added onto the table that HEAVENS were sitting at. Adding to Yamato's one million six hundred thousand, the total changed to four million.

"Congratulations, Eiji!" Matthew smiled. He turned to Sadik, "Brilliant, don't you think?"

"Only one wrong," Sadik nodded, looking pretty impressed. "And unlike your blonde bandmate over there, not counting the wrong one, you guessed only once."

"Oh…" Eiji looked highly surprised. "Really?"

"Your teammate over there guessed too many times, and the one you guess was the one with the birds," said Sadik. "And when this happens, all you can do is hold on, and be grateful."

"Eiji, well done again," Matthew looked really happy – violet eyes glowing sincerely as he shook hands with the brunette boy. "Take your seat, please. You and Yamato will be part of the Final Chase."

"Thank you very much," said Eiji gratefully as he moved back to his spot. Yamato was patting at his back and shoulder, and Nagi had even run over to hug him. Kira himself looked very calm now. Van also leaned over to pat Eiji's shoulder.

The only one to not say or do much was Eiichi.

The older of the two brothers simply nodded in Eiji's direction. Eiji however smiled warmly back at him.

"Now…" Matthew raised his head as he leaned against the game board. "Can Shion Amakusa punish the Chaser? Because next up…it is he."

All of a sudden, Shion, who had his eyes closed the whole time Eiji had done his individual chase, had his eyes darted open.

In all honesty, it startled Otoya. He always found the third HEAVENS member's face rather creepy and unnerving. The pale hair and pale eyes along with the pale skin made him look uncannily ethereal.

"Geez!" Syo himself was clutching at his chest. "Gave me a heart attack!"

Cecil nodded, swallowing the lump in his own throat. He certainly hadn't expected that. But then again, the pale-haired HEAVENS member always seemed strange compared to the others.

His way of thinking and method of speech seemed far too old-fashioned. Even next to people like Masato and Tokiya who tended to speak quite formally.

It honestly seemed as if his mind had come from a different era.

* * *

 **And so the second member makes it through, and now onto the third! OwO**

 **I've seen a couple of head-canons and interpretations in regards to Eiji, since he's the younger brother to Eiichi (the douche as he's called by a bunch of people XD) and the youngest son of Raging Ootori, yet his introduction showed him as a shy and polite person.** **That, and he appears to be Tokiya's rival for Season 4, which probably turned a couple of heads.**

 **Some of the interpretations are that Eiji's faking being shy and nice in correspondence to Tokiya's Hayato persona. But, I prefer to so far interpret that Eiji genuinely is a shy and nice person because noticeably we don't have a shy character in the cast of bishounen. XD that, and I can't imagine why someone would fake being shy. ;w; the reason why I think, or at least interpret on why Eiji is Tokiya's rival, is the idea of talent and hard work. Tokiya has a very good career, but he had to work really hard and persevere to gain it - I like to imagine Eiji, on the other hand, as being naturally talented, like a prodigy, so it wouldn't be hard for him to get far, but he himself just lacks the confidence and pride Tokiya has, so he's hesitant and needs a push.**

 **Thoughts are much appreciated! =^^=**

 **Peace out!  
\- Hebi-Kazechi-10**


	7. HEAVENS Chase - Shion

**Sorry for taking a while, but I was busy with some things. ^^'**

 **Anyway, here's Chapter 7! :D**

 **HUGE thanks to** Kiwikowa **for the review! 8D**

Kiwikowa: **Yeah, I really feel like he can't be feigning that shyness, too. ;w; I just hope he doesn't end up being as big of a douche as his brother (who, I actually don't hate as much as a lot of the fanbase does - I don't really hate anyone but a character named Seira who's in the games). And yes, I had to put those bits with Yamato - it made sense to me. XD**

 **Hope you enjoy~ X3**

* * *

"Here we are onto Round 3," Matthew smiled as he bowed his head in direction to the HEAVENS member. "Hello there, Shion."

"Greetings," the pale-haired male murmured as he dipped his head in greeting.

Otoya was surprised that the Canadian host didn't press him for any details on himself like he did with Eiji, or ask if he was pumped like he did with Yamato. Instead, he remarked to the youngster, "Just like with your two teammates before you, you will first go through the quick cash-grabber round. So, are you ready?"

"Ready," his pale eyes narrowed to the size of poison darts.

Otoya felt a bit unnerved at seeing that. Cecil was also rather unnerved at the look that the HEAVENS member gave. In all honesty, his eyes were steely and polished.

"Your time…" Matthew spoke up. "Starts…now! What is the smallest of the moons of Jupiter?"

"Europa," answered Shion, his eyes flashing a little.

"Correct!" Matthew nodded. "Which country is Prague in?"

"The Czech Republic," responded Shion.

"Correct! Which insect accurately indicates the air's temperature?"

"The cricket."

"Correct!"

"Wonder how many questions it'll take before this guy screws up on answering," wondered Syo as he rested his chin in his hand while leaning on the couch's arm.

"Hard to tell," said Masato as he gazed closely at the strange HEAVENS member.

"So far it's three," piped up Natsuki as he held up the exact number of fingers.

"What is the currency of Switzerland?" questioned Matthew.

"Euro," said Shion.

"Swiss franc," corrected Matthew.

Shion's eyes narrowed a little bit more to the size of poison darts, but he didn't say anything or react elsewhere when it came to body language. Once more, Otoya didn't like that expression on the HEAVENS member's face, but his eyes were glued to the screen nonetheless.

"Which country beginning with a _'T'_ has a shoreline on the Andaman Sea?" questioned Matthew.

"Pass," Shion didn't even give it a second thought.

"Thailand," said Matthew.

"He didn't even bother to think of something!" remarked Cecil incredulously. "He could've at least guessed!"

"Perhaps he just didn't know a country beginning with T," said Ren with a shrug.

"To the nearest mile, what is the length of a marathon?" inquired Matthew.

"Twenty-seven," responded Shion.

"Twenty-six," corrected Matthew.

Shion simply blinked at getting the question wrong, but the steely look that glazed over his eyes appeared hard and unfriendly. Otoya felt a chill just by looking at them, and he wondered how Matthew didn't at all look perturbed since he was so close to him, too.

"Who is the ghost that appears at the banquet in Shakespeare's _Macbeth_?" asked Matthew.

"Banquo," this time Shion responded. When Matthew affirmed that it was correct, the pale-haired boy blinked. When his eyes opened from the blink, they were this time fixed at the timer which now displayed thirty seconds.

"What is the green pigment in plants called?"

"Chlorophyll."

"Correct! Water and what are the main ingredients of pasta?"

"Flour."

"Correct!"

"That's six correct this time," Natsuki had counted the whole time whenever Shion got a correct answer. Everyone noticed that this time, there were thirty seconds left on the clock.

"Which is heavier – a proton or an electron?" asked Matthew.

"A proton," said Shion.

"Correct!" Matthew was even smiling a bit.

"Make that seven now," said Syo with a frown. Cecil's tanned face was also furrowed down to a scowl.

Otoya was still wondering how the Canadian host was not at all phased with Shion's rather unsettling gaze before remembering, as the timer was running out, that there _were_ people who were far scarier and more disturbing looking than him.

"Who was the king of Mount Olympus?" questioned Matthew.

"Zeus," said Shion as his eyes sharply glanced at the timer.

"Correct! In which country are Daewoo cars made?"

"Korea."

"Correct!" The timer then reached seven seconds as Matthew asked a final question, "How many balls are there on a pool table at the start of a game?"

"Fifteen," Shion said in his normal tone as the horn suddenly blared loudly – signalling that the timer was at zero.

Matthew whistled, "Made it in time as well!" He smiled, "Shion, that was ten questions correct – this means, you've gained two million yen!"

"HEAVENS just keeps on getting good amounts," observed Masato. "It seems they really have brushed up on a lot of trivia."

"Luck plays a big part as well," reminded Tokiya, his own blue eyes narrowing.

Shion simply bowed his head as the audience applauded at his success. The rest of the HEAVENS members looked really satisfied and joined with the applause.

"Still, there is one thing that stands in your way," said Matthew as he turned in direction to the ramp. "And that is the Chaser."

Once more, the stage flashed with red lights as the question mark glowed a vivid scarlet as Sadik appeared again. The Turkish man was grinning wickedly as usual before rubbing his hands again. Shion simply gazed up at him with his eyes still steely and strong. Sadik quirked an eyebrow at the young man, but he seemed highly amused at the youngster's sturdy position.

"Greetings to you, Shion," said Sadik pleasantly as he sat down. As soon as he did so, a white flash transformed the stage from its red coat to its normal electric blue.

"Greetings," Shion greeted back politely.

"So your head's not in the clouds after all," said Sadik as he rubbed his chin. "Not bad, but let's see if it's your fate in the stars to lose."

Shion responded curtly, "The stars brought me here to win, and win, I shall."

There was a loud _"ooooh"_ that came from the audience as Sadik quirked his eyebrow again. However, he reared back his head and gave loud bursts of bark-like laughter before rubbing his chin again. "Ha! You know what? I like you already, kid," Sadik was rubbing his hands together. "Now I'm _really_ ready for this! I finally get to face someone with a real pair of steel, and also looks like, starry balls from this team!"

"He…does not have to be so crude…" Masato was cringing slightly at Sadik's rather forward and casual form of mannerisms.

Ren meanwhile was laughing jovially, "I quite like this Chaser! He must be great company."

"Now, let's put some money on the table," said Matthew as the game board wiped itself and produced Shion's two million yen. "There's your amount, Shion. But if you want to take a step forward closer to home, then the Chaser will offer you…" he brought his hand up in Sadik's direction on cue.

"Will you go for a red giant or a white dwarf?" wondered Sadik. "Tell you what? 'Cause I like you, kid, I'll offer you three hundred thousand yen."

"I really don't want to see what he'd do if he hates you," Syo remarked. Otoya inwardly shuddered at the idea himself.

"But if you want to risk it and take a step _closer_ to the Phantom at his haunting keep, then he will offer you…" once more, Matthew raised his arm on cue in Sadik's direction.

"Again, 'cause I like you, kid," Sadik raised his head as he leaned forward and looked down at Shion. He winked, "I'll offer you five million one hundred thousand yen."

The huge amount appeared on the game board as everyone gasped in shock at it. Some of the girls in the audience were squealing in anticipation. Haruka was one of the ones who audibly gasped. Reiji himself looked extremely excited, while Ai tilted his head and observed closely – interested to see the response. Ranmaru arched both of his eyebrows up as he gazed closely: now wondering what the HEAVENS member would do.

STARISH were also amazed at the huge amount that was offered to Shion. And immediately, they started chatting amongst themselves – wondering what the pale-haired HEAVENS member was going to do.

" _Five_ million, one hundred thousand!" Syo was shocked. "Wow!"

"I guess Sadik must really like him?" wondered Natsuki as he pondered a little.

"Do you think he'll play for it?" mused Otoya. He honestly wasn't sure in this case – Shion didn't look reckless like Yamato, but he definitely wasn't shy and cautious like Eiji, either. In fact, the pale-haired HEAVENS member seemed to be on a different plane altogether.

"HEAVENS already has four million in their cash pot," surmised Tokiya. "And if Shion Amakusa is successful in his individual chase, then the total adds to nine million."

"But the question is," said Ren. " _Will_ he be willing to risk getting close to the Chaser as a result? He cannot afford to get any questions wrong."

"Actually," said Masato. "He would have just one chance to get something wrong unless the Chaser himself gets it wrong."

"Details, details," Ren sighed as he rolled his eyes. Masato glared at him again – not at all liking the response he got.

"What do you think, Cecil-chan?" questioned Natsuki as he noticed the prince was silent.

"Honestly…I don't really know," admitted Cecil. "He's a strange guy, that one…"

"I'll say," Syo agreed as he nodded and crossed his arms over his chest.

"You can discuss with your teammates," said Matthew. Shion simply nodded and turned around to face them.

"That's a _crap_ load of money!" Yamato piped up. "Man, if you could win that…"

"It'll definitely help Kira!" Nagi was bouncing up and down, looking extremely excited. "It really would, wouldn't it?"

Kira wordlessly nodded, but his gaze was fixed onto Shion. However, the pale-haired male's eyes only settled on him for a second. Otoya was surprised Shion didn't look at Kira full on like how he did with others and the timer with such intensity.

"But, we need you here, too," said Eiji. "For the Final Chase."

"Definitely true," agreed Van. "We haven't lost anyone yet, and we don't wanna lose anyone now."

Eiichi simply shrugged when Shion's eyes fixed onto him, "I'm fifty-fifty here. Though yes, the money's good and it definitely helps the cause, do you really want to risk being eliminated? That's up to how confident you are with your abilities."

Shion tilted his head at that, which looked really odd in Otoya's opinion. But regardless, Shion appeared fine with all the input he was getting. He bowed deeply before turning back to Sadik. Then, he gave his answer.

"I will face the battle in the jaws of the beast," said Shion. "I will take your high offer."

Hearing this, everyone was gasping in shock, awe and mixtures of both. There were a lot of squeals and cries coming from the girls in the audience along with several from STARISH and HEAVENS. Yamato's jaw was dropped as he was one of those who gave a loud gasp; Eiji's had also gasped – his pale purple eyes widened, and his hands clapped over his mouth; Van's mouth was only slightly opened, but he looked surprised rather than horrified like Eiji; Eiichi looked surprised himself, but he was smiling as his glasses flashed sinisterly; Nagi squealed as he was fidgeting even more.

Kira's reaction on the other hand was something to take note of.

The dark-haired idol's pale yellow eyes stretched so wide, the whites were viewable. He clearly looked rattled, even if his face still seemed inexpressive.

Matthew however looked both stunned yet excited, but also a bit bad for the rest of the HEAVENS members who looked totally opposed with the idea, "Very well, then! Getting rid of your original offer, and the lower one, you take a step _closer_ to the Chaser! What do you think, Sadik?"

"You truly do have balls, kid," Sadik looked quite happy. "Definitely gonna enjoy this one!"

"Now…" Matthew smiled at the audience, "Playing for five million one hundred thousand yen, the Chase _is_ on!"

The stage once more flashed multiple white lights before its shade of bright electric blue then settled onto a dark indigo to highlight a more serious and tense atmosphere. And truly, from Shion's choice, the atmosphere appeared much tenser than before.

Kira noticeably did _not_ look happy as his pale yellow eyes were blaring with a burning inferno. He was glaring quietly at the back of Shion's head, and, after a little while, he brought his gloved hand up to wipe at the side of his head. Beads of sweat had formed there, but he wiped his hand on his thigh before watching closely at the scene before him.

"Damn, I can't believe it!" Syo's jaw had dropped as well. "He chose the higher offer!"

"Well, he's going to get caught, then!" exclaimed Cecil. "The Chaser he _never_ got a question wrong!"

"It's not impossible, though," Tokiya said. When everyone turned to face him, the blue-haired idol explained, "Though I'm reluctant to say it in regards to HEAVENS, it's not at all impossible to take a higher offer and make it without getting caught. As long as you keep getting correct answers and stay one step ahead of the Chaser, then you're fine."

Masato nodded, "Ootori-san from before only got one question wrong – he could have played for the higher offer himself and probably made it with no problem."

"I still wouldn't risk it," said Syo stubbornly. "Especially not with these kinds of questions they're throwing at us. Either HEAVENS are a bunch of inhuman monsters, or they studied a lot."

"Could they be possibly cheating?" inquired Cecil. "Perhaps magic of some kind?"

"Can you sense any magic?" questioned Otoya.

"Well, no," answered Cecil. "But still!" however he pouted when the others ignored him and his accusation. This prompted Natsuki to pat his shoulder before hugging him.

"Then it's both luck and just studying hard," said Tokiya. "As much as I don't want to defend HEAVENS, the Chaser got nothing wrong so far as well."

"And don't forget," said Ren. "Shion is still the third one to play. The other four could get eliminated. My money's on Kiryuin."

"So you think Amakusa will make it?" questioned Otoya.

Ren shrugged, "Who knows? We'll only have to see."

"Now Shion, your first question," announced Matthew. STARISH became quiet to hear closely. "What does a numismatist collect?" questioned the Canadian host. "A) Coins, b) horseshoes, or c) rings?"

Sadik had pressed the buzzer first as per usual. Shion pressed his after, but his movement was rather slow, which was strange considering how he was usually so quick to move about during performing. However, Otoya simply attributed it as separation between idol duties and leisure.

"You put," said Matthew as Shion's answer was shown. "A) Coins. The correct answer is…"

Shion's answer flashed green.

"Coins!" Matthew smiled. "Still five steps until home, but closer to home, regardless. The Chaser has put…"

When Sadik's answer was shown overlapping Shion's, the red panel with the arrow appeared onto the game board.

"Next question," said Matthew. "In which Italian city is La Scala opera house? A) Sicily, b) Venice, or c) Milan."

Once more, Sadik was very quick with the buzzer. Otoya wondered how a person could know so much, but gazing at the Turkish man closely, the redhead remembered that Sadik looked pretty old – possibly the same age as Shining Saotome. Putting age as part of the factors, it did make a lot of sense: elders were quite knowledgeable and full of experience despite their age.

Which Otoya now found ironic as Shion moved like an old man – slow and somewhat minimal.

"You put," Matthew looked to see Shion's answer again. "B) Milan. The correct answer is…!"

With a bell-like _'ding!'_ Shion's answer flashed green again.

Matthew still appeared pretty happy at his success, in fact, Otoya saw that the Canadian host appeared pretty elated as Shion again moved forward. However, the bespectacled blonde cleared his throat before continuing, "The Phantom put…"

Sadik simply raised his head when his answer was shown to be the same as Shion's. His red arrow moved forward as well.

Matthew inquired, "The Spanish wine, Sangria, means which of the following words? Is it a) Flowing, b) Bleeding, or c) Mixing?"

Again, both buzzers were pressed.

"Shion, you put," Matthew looked up. "B) Bleeding. The answer is…"

Shion simply gave a blink when his answer was revealed to be correct again. He only gazed down at the game board with a calculating spark in his eye.

Sadik meanwhile was simply watching the youngster with intrigue. Quite frankly, he was the strangest boy he had ever met so far. The strangest, but also the most intriguing. His demeanour was very sturdy and unrelenting, yet there was a sort of steel-like component to him. Adding to that, he seemed to be existing in some other kind of era altogether. Still, he wasn't afraid in the slightest, nor was he boastful. The Turkish man's smile was spread out on his olive-skinned face as Matthew asked the next question.

"On the list of modern birth stones, which month has the opal as its birthstone? A) October, b) November, or c) December."

"Something I could actually answer!" Syo looked relieved. "I'm pretty sure it's October."

"You're right," this time, Cecil cracked a smile on his face. "It is October!"

"Oh yeah!" Otoya found himself beaming brightly. "Your birthday's in October! I almost forgot about that, Cecil!"

"Perhaps I should get you an opal necklace next year when your birthday comes," said Ren with a fond smile.

Cecil laughed, "That sounds lovely, actually!"

Otoya felt quite happy that they were at ease for once. They were too nervous and on edge with Shion's performance and Sadik's overall demeanour.

Seeing Shion once more get the question correct, though, the redhead felt his heart start to pick up on the pace. Same with Sadik getting it correct once again.

"You're almost there, Shion," Matthew said reassuringly, though it looked like he didn't need to be that way to the pale-haired boy. "Just two more steps, and you're home free!"

Shion simply cracked his head in Matthew's direction and gave him a steely look. Again, Otoya was wondering how the Canadian host didn't even buckle underneath such a stare.

But then, much to the redhead's shock, Shion did something he did _not_ expect.

Shion smiled.

Though tiny and lasting for about a second, the pale-haired boy flashed a little smile in the Canadian host's direction before giving a little nod and turning back to the game board.

It was gone as quickly as it had appeared.

Otoya blinked a couple of times – now wondering if he had imagined things.

"The carpal bones are found in which part of the human body?" questioned Matthew. "A) Neck, b) Knee or c) Wrists."

And again, Sadik was fast on the buzzer with Shion not far behind.

And again, the answer from both sides was correct.

And again, Sadik's arrow and Shion's offer took a step forward.

Otoya was now wondering if Cecil had a point and Shion truly was inhuman or magical in any way. Just a thought.

"I think he can actually pull this off," marvelled Natsuki. "He only needs one question left, and he has two chances to get it wrong."

"Still two chances," pointed out Tokiya. "You can do badly in only two chances."

"We're one question from home," said Matthew. "To put five million one hundred thousand yen in the bank, good luck, Shion!"

"Thank you," murmured Shion. Otoya was quite surprised here as well – he didn't remember the pale-haired male ever saying those two words, either.

"Here's your next question. Which of these boys' names does _not_ appear in the title of a Roald Dahl novel? Is it A) James, b) Charlie, or c) Tom?"

Sadik slammed his large hand down on his buzzer quickly, and Shion followed suit.

"You've put…" Matthew looked up at Shion's answer. "Tom."

"James and the Giant Peach," murmured Shion. "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory."

"What about Tom and the Wacky Grey Cat?" called out Sadik from his spot. The audience cracked up at hearing that.

Shion arched an elegant eyebrow, "I was never aware of that one when I was a child."

"Or perhaps it was Tom and the Great Big Sausage?" wondered Sadik as he made a gesture that appeared like he was rubbing his beard.

At this point, the audience was cracking hard – particularly the convention goers who howled with laughter. Yamato and Van were snickering from their spots as Eiichi simply grinned at the joke. In the waiting room, Masato looked appalled while Ren was laughing pretty hard at Sadik's wise-cracks.

Matthew the host however looked like he was going to die – he was trying to hold his laughter, but his face turned red before he laughed. He chortled for a good while before wiping the sweat from his forehead. He then cleared his throat, "Well, let's see what your answer is, Shion. If your answer is correct, then you take your winnings back to your team. Your answer was Tom, the correct answer is…!"

Everyone watched quietly with bated breath since it seemed nobody read the books before finally, there was a flash of green.

Then the whole stage flashed electric blue as it gained its colours back – Shion had the correct answer.

"Well done," Matthew was smiling as he stretched his hand out in Shion's direction. "Well done!"

"Thank you," Shion quietly thanked the blonde host with a bow of his head as his total added to HEAVENS' money pot. It boosted from four million to nine million one hundred thousand.

The audience was shouting, cheering and clapping uproariously at the pale-haired male's success since he not only made it back to his team and escaped the Chaser, but he also took the Chaser's bigger offer. Back at the HEAVENS table, Yamato and Nagi had stood up from their seats and applauded Shion elatedly. Van was sitting down at first before deciding to stand up as well. Eiji heaved a sigh of relief before clapping with a weak smile, and Eiichi simply crossed his arms over his chest and gave a nod of approval. Kira himself relaxed his shoulders, and the swirling inferno in his eyes died down as he gave a deep breath.

"Terrific, well done," Matthew was smiling. He turned in Shion's direction with his arm spread out in Sadik's direction.

But, much to his stunned surprise, and everyone else's amusement, Shion had already walked back to his spot at the table without another word.

This time, it was Sadik who was dying of laughter.

The Chaser actually stood up and was crouching slightly as he grabbed at his stomach while he gave a huge belly laugh. His whole body was wracking and heaving with his chortling.

"He didn't even say goodbye," said Matthew, who now looked a bit offended. "He just…he just left me. Do you know something?" he was looking up at Sadik with a scowl. "You know something about Shion? He never wrote, he…" he shook his head. "He never phoned…"

And, again to Otoya's surprise, Shion's face stretched into a bewildered expression at Matthew's words. "Did I…perhaps leave at the wrong moment?" he questioned, voice quiet, but noticeably it was a soft, hushed form of quietness rather than the steely tones he had displayed from before.

"No, no, you didn't," Matthew laughed this time, feeling a bit guilty for messing with the boy. He was astonished he was even able to in the first place. "You're fine with where you are, Shion, you just stay right there."

Sadik simply rubbed a tear of mirth from his eye before grinning, "Well, kid, since you already left, I gotta yell it now, but hey, you risked it, and you got it. Good on ya for having balls of steel and stars, kid!"

Shion simply dipped his head down at the Turkish man. Noticeably, his expression became serious again when dealing with the Phantom, but his eyes were no longer steely.

"Now, Van," Matthew called. "Ready to go on?"

"Of course," Van was grinning, looking quite ready.

"Of course he's ready," agreed Matthew. "Next to face the Chaser is Van Kiryuin!"

Back in the waiting room, STARISH couldn't help on what Shion had managed to achieve. He not only took the higher offer from the Phantom, but he got past him, and was able to make it back home.

"So that answers it, then," said Tokiya, though he looked highly unnerved at Shion's feat. "It's perfectly possible to make it with the higher offer without getting caught."

"And he got nothing wrong as well," said Natsuki, his own eyes wide.

"He's an alien," Syo threw his hands up. "There's no other explanation. He's an alien."

"Now HEAVENS has even more money than before," said Otoya. "I hope we can get just as much when we play."

"We will do our best," reassured Masato. "For you and the orphanage, we will play valiantly with honour, and make it!"

Ren nodded, "That, I can definitely agree on." Still, he couldn't help but look back to the screen as he saw Van get up from his spot and move towards Matthew. The two shook hands as Van stood tall and proud.

* * *

 **In all honesty, it was hard writing Shion - at first I had one interpretation in mind, but then I decided to use another because it became too tricky to incorporate it somehow. And then I began to think of _way_ too many interpretations with the guy, and that brought only a crap ton of trouble for me. TT7TT**

 **At first, I interpreted Shion as one of those guys who's more spiritual or obsessed with aliens and other planets and stuff like that, then it became a guy who's more "from a different era" (his mind probably existing in the era when samurai and shogun were far more common, probably), then this strange interpretation I myself am not really sure is. TTwTT**

 **So far, he's probably the hardest.**

 **Anyway, HEAVENS is now raising more and more money - will all of them really make it? Will anyone do anymore risks? Or will the rest of the members crash and burn, starting from Van? Will Shion's efforts inspire STARISH members to also take risks?**

 **Tune in next time~**

 **Peace out!  
\- Hebi-Kazechi-10**


	8. HEAVENS Chase - Van

**Don't worry, I'm not dead, and neither is this story. =^^=**

 **Anyway, moving on, we've reached about the halfway point with V for Van Kiryuin. :D**

 **HUGE thanks to** twenteenth **for the fave** ; CakesClover **for the follow** ; **and** LupusLover **for the fave AND the follow. X3**

 **Hope you enjoy~**

* * *

"We've almost reached halfway through HEAVENS," said Matthew, looking quite intrigued now. "Three members have gone through – will the rest of the four make it, too?" He then faced the member who was going to play, "Hello there, Van."

"Hey," Van said casually as he gave what looked to be a bit of a salute with his index and middle fingers.

"When you introduced yourself, you said that geography and sports were your specialty," said Matthew, genuinely interested.

"I've travelled around," said Van in an easy-going manner.

"Really? Where?" inquired Matthew.

"Mostly Europe," said Van with a fond smile. "Pretty sweet place. I've been to America once, too. Korea and Taiwan as well."

"That's quite a lot of places," marvelled Otoya. He had never been out of Japan before. In all honesty, he wanted to travel overseas and look around. He heard of all kinds of exciting stories from his seniors, along with Ren and Cecil. Reiji would talk excitedly about London; Ranmaru had some fond memories of America with some old bandmates; Ren had been to Italy once; and Cecil had come from a desert kingdom, but also had seen a few places.

Perhaps someday he could go overseas and travel, too.

"That sounds amazing," remarked Matthew. "How about sports? Do you play any sports?"

"Some basketball," responded Van as he fixed at his bangs. "I don't really play as much anymore, sadly."

That made Otoya remember soccer. He used to play a lot, but ever since his idol duties plus studying for the Chase, he had little to zero time. Maybe after this is over, he can bring everyone to the orphanage and just kick a soccer ball around. The poor checker ball was sitting in a lonely corner near his bed.

"Yeah, I sympathize with you there," agreed Matthew with a nod. "I haven't played ice hockey in a while. Now…" he cleared his throat. "Like with your teammates before you, you have one minute to answer as many questions as you can. Ready?"

"Ready," Van straightened his posture as he gave a confident smile.

"Your time…" began Matthew. "Starts…now! What are the small indentations on a golf ball called?"

"Dimples," responded Van as his smile grew wider – showing that he himself had dimples. This did prompt some of the girls in the audience to squeal in delight.

Syo rolled his eyes along with Ren, who also shook his head. Masato arched an eyebrow, "Was that even necessary?"

"Just HEAVENS being HEAVENS," grumbled Syo.

"He does have a nice smile, though," Natsuki chuckled.

"He looks like an idiot," snorted Syo.

"And my smile is far better, don't you think~?" Cecil beamed – showing pearly whites. "Much more charming?"

Natsuki was clapping happily while Otoya chuckled, "Definitely, Cecil. Definitely."

"What laundry detergent got lots of mileage out of the ad line _'ring around the collar'_?" questioned Matthew.

Van stiffened slightly before shaking his head, "Pass."

"Wisk," said Matthew. "Where on the body is the human skin least sensitive?"

After appearing to think for a moment, Van responded in a guessing tone, "Arm?"

"The heel," corrected Matthew. Van looked irritated, but he listened as the Canadian host went to the next question, "What does _'GM'_ stand for in GM food?"

"Genetically modified," answered Van, looking more confident.

"Correct," said Matthew. "Which nationality was Christopher Columbus?"

"Italian."

"Correct."

"What is 120% expressed as in a fraction?" asked Matthew.

"Mathematics?" inquired Otoya. He scrunched his face as he tried to think quickly.

However, Tokiya responded quite quickly, "It would be six fifths, or six over five."

"Six fifths," Van mentioned after Tokiya had said the answer.

"Can they hear us from here?" wondered Cecil as his eyes widened.

"I doubt it," said Syo reluctantly. "As much as I don't want to admit it…"

"It took him a while to calculate," said Masato. "Do not worry."

"How many questions were correct so far?" wondered Otoya.

Natsuki responded, "Four~" as he raised four fingers. When Van got the next question correct as well, the bespectacled STARISH member raised another finger so that he had an open palm, "Five~"

"The aubergine comes from which plant?" questioned Matthew.

"Pass," Van shook his head. The questions he had no idea on prompted him to just skip them and move onward. He didn't want to lose any more time and waste it.

"The eggplant," said Matthew. "The song Skyfall came from which movie?"

"James Bond," said Van.

"More specific, please," said Matthew.

"Oh…" Van's brown eyes widened a little before he stammered out, "Skyfall!"

"Correct," Matthew gave a little smile as Van picked himself up. "How many carats is pure gold?"

"Twenty-four," responded Van, feeling more in the zone. He didn't dare look at the timer – it would just put cracks in his cool.

"Correct. Meringue is a combination of whisked egg white and what ingredient?"

"Sugar."

"Correct. Which country defeated the Persians in 5th century BC?"

"Pass."

"Greece. At which degree of longitude is the International Dating Line?"

Van licked his lips before shaking his head again, "Pass."

"One hundred and eighty. What breed of animal is the chinchilla?"

"A cat," said Van.

"Correct. In which musical does the character Fagan appear?"

The timer then gave a loud blaring horn signalling the time had finally run out. Van shrugged his shoulders, "Great Expectations?"

"Oliver," corrected Matthew.

"Ah…" Van nodded, but he beamed at the next piece of news the bespectacled host shared with him.

"Pretty good, Van," complimented Matthew. "Nine questions correct, so you have one million eight hundred thousand yen!" He chuckled a little at seeing the brunette look a little out of breath, "Feel better?"

"Much better," said Van with a nod.

"That's good," stated Matthew. "Because now you have a hurdle standing in your way. The Chaser."

Once more, the stage was flashing a blaring red as the audience cheered again at seeing Sadik emerge from backstage and into his seat. Otoya always couldn't help but stare in awe – despite the Turkish Chaser coming out three times already, he was still amazed at the older, olive-skinned man's presence.

"Hello there, Van," greeted Sadik.

"Hello, Sadik," Van gave his index-middle finger salute.

"Sports and geography, huh?" the Turkish man leaned back in his seat as he arched an eyebrow. "Well, I'll certainly get a kick out of crushing you!"

Van laughed before shaking his head as he smirked, "We'll see about that, won't we?"

"I like that answer," Matthew smiled as he gestured to the game board so that the brunette could look at it. "There's your money on the board, Van. But if you want to take a step closer to home and out of harm's way, then the Phantom will offer you…"

"Here's my offer," announced Sadik loudly. "Two thousand yen."

Van arched an eyebrow as Matthew protested, "That's a bit too harsh, don't you think, Sadik?"

Sadik shrugged, "What can I say? I'm not the most benevolent of spirits, after all!"

"He's definitely not going to get that," said Ren coolly as he leaned back in his spot on the couch a bit. "That's far too little."

"That's the lowest compared to the others from HEAVENS, wasn't it?" asked Otoya as he recalled everyone else's amounts a bit.

"You are right, Otoya-kun," said Masato with a nod. "The lowest was three hundred thousand from Hyuga-san."

Matthew sighed before continuing, "But if you want to take a risk and get _closer_ to the Chaser, then he will offer you…"

"Think you can handle me, pretty boy?" Sadik teased with a jeer. "I'll offer you three million four hundred thousand yen."

"I don't think Sadik likes him that much," observed Otoya. "His offers are a bit low compared to everyone else, too."

"You can talk to your teammates right now," said Matthew as he took a step back to let Van speak with his fellow HEAVENS members.

Van however heaved a sigh as he chuckled, "Well, then?"

"You definitely cannot take the lower offer!" piped up Nagi as he waggled his finger. "Don't do it, Van!"

"Well…" Eiji rubbed the back of his head. "He _can_ if he wanted to…" when he got some looks from Eiichi, Nagi and Yamato, the brunette quickly spoke up, "I mean! Shion-kun got a lot of money, so perhaps…if you feel pressured…you don't have to?"

Shion himself simply dipped his head, but Otoya noticed his eyes were not steely – it looked like he was acknowledging what Eiji said.

Kira himself didn't look so upset, though then again, his face was always in that same serious expression. He simply gazed closely in Van's direction.

After hearing his teammates talk, Van nodded and blew some of his bangs out of his eyes. He simply smiled, "Hey, no worries. I know what I'm doing." When he turned around, he remarked in Sadik's direction, "I'm not going to take the lower offer. Same time, I'm not going to take the higher one. I'll just stick with what I got."

Sadik arched his bushy eyebrow but chuckled, "Well, kid. Let's see what you got!"

"Gladly," Van smirked.

"Both offered amounts disappear, and now there's one million eight hundred thousand," announced Matthew as the board was wiped clean. "For one million eight hundred thousand, the Chase is _on_!"

"Told you he wouldn't take the lower offer," said Ren nonchalantly.

"Would it be best to make a strategy like that?" inquired Masato, now unsure. "Some of us play for the higher offers, and the rest of can either play for our own earnings, and some can play lower."

"I still wouldn't play for the lower offer myself," said Syo stubbornly. "I'd stick with my offer!"

"Same," agreed Otoya with a nod. "Though it's kind of scary, I'll still face the Chaser head-on!"

"You can play for lower if you'd like," Ren said in Masato's direction. "Since you seem to lack confidence in that aspect, which I'm not so surprised."

Masato bristled slightly before glaring, "That was not what I meant. I simply mused aloud on a possible outcome!"

Tokiya shook his head, "I think we only play low if we absolutely have to. That is, if you feel pressured, just go low. Someone else can pick up by choosing to play for the higher offer."

"Will you play higher, Toki-chan?" inquired Natsuki quietly.

Here, everyone stopped and stared at him. Tokiya eyed everyone steadily before shrugging, "Honestly, I'm unsure. Possibly. If we have to, anyway."

"If it's going by order, then you'll be second," said Cecil. "Right after Syo."

"Rest assured, Tokiya," Syo looked more determined this time. "I'm not going for the lower amount! I'm definitely going for my earnings!"

"What if your earnings are low, though, ochibi-chan?" questioned Ren.

"I said not to call me that!" Syo snapped. However, he shook his head, "Well, I'll still try my best!"

"Yeah, just try," said Otoya as he patted the blonde's back. "Try your hardest and give it your all!" He then turned his red eyes at the screen where Van and Matthew were still standing, and the stage was now a dark indigo.

"First question," said Matthew. "What country did the spirit, gin, first originate from? A) Holland, b) England, or c) Russia."

Sadik pressed his button first, while Van was rubbing his chin. After some thought, the HEAVENS member followed suit.

"You put, a) Holland," said Matthew. He asked the brunette, "Do you drink?"

Van chuckled, "Nah. Not for me, really. Go ask Eiichi."

There were a couple of chuckles from the audience. The eldest son of Raging Ootori looked amused himself as he pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

"Correct answer is…" Matthew looked to the question as Van's answer then glowed green. "Holland! Take a step forward. The Chaser has put…"

Sadik simply smirked when the red border appeared around the correct answer as well. When he moved forward, the Turkish man raised his head as he explained, "Though gin is England's national spirit, and most of the world's most famous gins come from the UK, the English first discovered it when they were fighting the Thirty Years War and saw a bunch of Dutch soldiers drinking Jenever to boost morale before heading into battle."

"The Chaser's definitely inhuman," sighed Syo.

"I agree," said Cecil as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Maybe a wizard even!"

"Next question," said Matthew. "A fourchette is a narrow, forked strip of material used to make what type of garment? Is it a) Cape, b) Sock, or c) Glove?"

Sadik, once more, pressed the button quite quickly. Van however looked to be deep in thought. He scowled slightly before pressing a button, though he looked really unsure.

"You put, cape," said Matthew.

Van shrugged, "I have no idea."

"Correct answer is…" Matthew stretched his arm out at the board. When c) Glove lit up instead, Van gave a pained expression as the Canadian host cringed a little as well, "Ooh…it was glove. But don't worry, Van, let's see what the Chaser put."

"It'll be correct as always," sighed Syo as he tipped his hat.

And sure enough, it was correct.

Sadik moved closer behind him as he smirked, looking quite pleased with a flame in his pale green eyes.

"Which writer died in the same year as William Shakespeare?" inquired Matthew as they moved on to the next question. "A) Edmund Spenser, b) Niccolo Machiavelli, or c) Miguel de Cervantes?"

Van was rubbing his chin, though there was a little flash in his brown eyes. He appeared to think a bit more as Sadik pressed his button.

"You have to put an answer down, Van," said Matthew gently.

The brunette HEAVENS member pressed a button as he brushed at some dust on his sleeve.

"You put, de Cervantes," remarked Matthew when Van's answer showed up.

"I don't think it's Machiavelli," reasoned Van. "I don't know who Spenser is, but it didn't sound right. At least, it didn't sound right to me, anyway."

"It's good to make a guess from deductive reasoning rather than going blind in the dark," reassured Matthew. "Let's see if it paid off."

It did.

Van sighed in relief at seeing he got the question right, and moved forward. However, Sadik also got the question right and moved close, once more.

"They both died in 1616," said Sadik matter-of-factly as Matthew moved on to the next question.

"How many women of the name _'Catherine'_ did King Henry VIII marry? A) Four, b) Three, c) Two?"

"What do you think, Masato?" questioned Otoya. "You were reading about Henry VIII, weren't you?"

"I think the answer is three," the blue-haired scion scowled a little as he pondered.

"You think?" inquired Ren as he arched an eyebrow.

Masato sharply glowered at him, "I'm _certain_."

Van was revealed to also have chosen three as his answer. He took a deep breath again as Matthew gave him a gentle smile, "Do you know this one?"

"No," Van shook his head. "This one's a pure guess."

"Well, you still have a thirty three and a third percent chance," said Matthew in an encouraging tone.

"I keep forgetting Williams-san was also a quiz master," exclaimed Masato in surprise.

"Oh yeah!" Syo himself looked astonished at forgetting that fact. "I wonder what would've happened if we had him as our Chaser instead!"

"Looks like we'll never find out," sighed Cecil.

When Van got his answer correct, he looked genuinely but pleasantly surprised. He gave another sigh of relief as he rubbed at his hands and brought them to his mouth before placing them down again. He didn't seem to mind too much at seeing Sadik also getting the answer right.

"You were right, Masato!" Otoya beamed in the pianist's direction. "Good job!"

Masato flushed a little at the compliment, but he simply bowed his head, "Thank you, Otoya-san."

"Catherine of Aragon, Catherine Howard, and Catherine Parr," said Sadik. "Divorced, beheaded and widowed, in that order. It's in the rhyme." He then said in a sing-song voice that was suddenly in a scarily higher and softer pitch of tone, "King Henry VIII, to six wives he was wedded. One died, one survived, two divorced, two beheaded."

Otoya felt chills run down his spine at both Sadik's voice and the words of the little rhyme he gave. A man married to six wives, and he even killed two of them. The redhead was sincerely glad he wasn't born during those times, nor would he ever marry a king.

Van however remarked to Matthew in regards to Sadik, "Bet he's great on a night out."

"He's actually very-" Matthew began, only to be cut off by a hearty laugh from Sadik's direction. The Canadian host shook his head as he gave a soft chuckle himself, "Actually, you can't top that. Well played."

"Indeed," Sadik was clapping his large hands together. "Well played, I gotta admit, pretty boy."

"I wonder why he calls Van that," Ren looked annoyed. "He isn't that attractive."

"Perhaps you are simply blinded by jealousy," this time Masato took some jabs at the long-haired saxophone player.

Ren rolled his eyes, "Oh, please. What would I even be jealous of?"

"How many pieces are in a Rubik's cube?" inquired Matthew. "A) 25, b) 26, or c) 27?"

This time, Van looked more confident as if he knew what the answer was. He this time pressed the button, though it was still a bit slower than Sadik, who still kept his speed up.

Matthew smiled, "That was faster than before."

"I know this one," said Van, looking quite pleased with himself.

"So you play with Rubik's cubes?" asked Matthew interestedly.

"Yeah," said Van. "Doesn't mean I'm any good with them, though." He gave a chuckle as members from the audience were also giggling and laughing. "I can only get two faces. How about you?"

"You're talking to one of the fastest Rubik's cube quiz masters," said Sadik this time looking at Matthew with a kind of glowing pride. When the audience started murmuring in interest, Sadik spoke up, "Come on, Matthew. Tell 'em your best time!"

"Next question!" Matthew spoke up, which made some members of the audience give a sound of disappointment. Van also looked disappointed himself, but got his head back in the game quite easily. Nagi was pouting with his bottom lip jutted out.

"According to my data," Ai said as Nanami and Ranmaru looked in his direction. "Matthew Williams achieved a personal best record time of eight point seven five seconds."

"Well, shit," Ranmaru rubbed his head as he leaned back in his chair.

"Really?" marvelled Nanami in awe. "I can't even solve mine in eight months!"

Reiji chuckled as he patted her head, "Aww, don't worry, kouhai-chan! I'm not so good with Rubik's cubes, either."

Nanami blushed a little at being petted on the head, but texted STARISH about the interesting piece of trivia Ai had shared about the Canadian host.

Otoya felt his phone vibrate before picking it up, "Nanami sent another text!"

"Really? What does it say this time?" Cecil was practically bouncing over in eagerness.

"It's about Matthew and his best Rubik's cube time," said the redhead whose eyes widened. "It's…eight point seven five seconds?!"

"How the hell…?" Syo looked stunned. "I can't even solve a Rubik's cube in eight months, let alone eight _seconds_!"

"I've heard the world record for the fastest time to solve a Rubik's cube is lesser than that," said Tokiya. "But still, that is actually pretty impressive."

"What is the world record for that, anyway?" questioned Ren.

"Five point two five seconds," responded Tokiya.

"Oh my God…" Syo groaned as he lowered his hat on his head. "Now I feel like my head's going to explode…"

"Don't worry, Syo-chan~!" Natsuki reassured as he came close and started to massage at the shorter boy's shoulders. "Just relax~"

Syo rolled his eyes but let the glasses-clad boy continue, actually starting to feel his tense muscles begin to relax. It was a while before he could even relax since he was studying a lot of trivia for Otoya's really good cause, and juggling duties.

Otoya smiled a little himself, "Hey, Natsuki?"

"What is it, Oto-chan?" Natsuki asked as he raised his head. He then smiled, "Would you like a massage, too~?"

The redhead chuckled, "Yeah, that sounds good."

"I can do that if you'd like," offered Cecil. When Otoya agreed, the tanned prince came over, "They have good masseuses back at Agnapolis, and I was taught by some of them."

It honestly felt really nice when Cecil's knuckles started to shift and knead about on his back. Otoya found himself relaxing as his tense muscles were getting pushed and unwound. He sighed in relief as for once, he didn't feel the knots in his stomach, and genuinely felt like some hard force was being smoothed out into a sheet. It was a little painful at first, but it felt really nice after as Cecil's skilful hands were working on his back and shoulders.

Otoya closed his eyes for a little bit as he took a deep breath and felt much calmer.

"Feeling better?" inquired Cecil with a smile.

"Yeah, much better," Otoya grinned as he gave a thumbs-up. "Thanks, Cecil!" However, looking back at the screen, the redhead blinked, "Huh? What happened?"

"You were so busy with the massage that you missed Van Kiryuin getting the correct answer for the Rubik's cube question, but he got another question wrong," said Tokiya smoothly.

"What was the question?" inquired Cecil.

"What name is given to a male swan?" repeated Masato. "A) Gander, b) Drake, or c) Cob."

"What was the correct answer?" asked Otoya.

"Cob~!" announced Natsuki cheerfully.

"So then that means if he gets this wrong, he's caught," commented Otoya as he saw that on the game board, Sadik's red arrow was directly behind Van. The brunette definitely looked like the pressure was taking a toll on him as he then started to sweat a bit. Still, he appeared to try and keep his cool as he took a deep breath.

"All or nothing, Van, you can do it!" reassured Matthew as the last question was pulled up. "The man who engineered the framework of the Statue of Liberty also engineered this building that still contains his name. A) Big Ben, b) Eiffel Tower, c) Sears Tower."

Van this time looked highly relieved as he then slammed the button. He smirked in Sadik's direction, "Sorry about that, Sadik."

Sadik arched an eyebrow, but the sneer never left his face.

"You put, b) Eiffel Tower," remarked Matthew.

"I know that Big Ben's named after the bell of the clock, not the guy who engineered it," explained Van. "I don't know about Sears Tower, but I do know the Eiffel Tower was named after a man named Eiffel. Forgot his name, though."

"Sounds good to me," smiled Matthew. "To get home and add one million eight hundred thousand yen to the HEAVENS pot. Is the correct answer the Eiffel Tower of Paris?"

Noticeably, when Matthew said the last part, he spoke in a bit of a French accent, which intrigued Cecil. "Does Matthew speak French?" he wondered aloud.

"Possibly?" Otoya was confused at the question, but found that he wouldn't be surprised if Matthew did.

They all watched closely at Van's confident expression, Sadik's arched eyebrow, and the indigo stage as well as the game board.

Then with a chime, Van's answer glowed green before the stage flashed in electric blue.

"Good on you, Van!" Matthew cheered as Van suddenly slumped over a bit, looking quite relieved, but laughing a bit. The Canadian host joined in the brunette's laughter, too. "Feels good, doesn't it?"

"Yeah, it does!" said Van as he wiped the sweat away from his forehead before moving at his shirt and opening his jacket a little bit. Obviously, the pressure had really seeped in for him, and in all honesty, the brown-eyed HEAVENS member was afraid he was going to lose his cool for a moment. However, he was glad he didn't and made it.

Some girls were noticeably giggling when Van had opened his jacket a bit to show the black vest and white shirt he was wearing inside, as well as a slight peek at his rather robust physique.

Masato appeared amused when he saw Ren look annoyed, "You truly are jealous, are you?"

Ren responded by flicking at his fringe, "Once more – why would I even be jealous of someone like him?"

Syo shook his head, "Great, more and more HEAVENS members are getting it. Wonder if anyone's even going to get caught."

"Again, I doubt they're going easy on us," said Tokiya. "There are both tough and easy questions, and Sadik Adnan never got a question wrong so far." The dark-haired idol rubbed his chin, "It really _does_ appear to be luck and, as much as I don't want to admit it, skill. HEAVENS must have studied."

"Well, I hope that that happens to us, too," said Otoya. "We all make it through to the Final Chase."

After Van shook hands with Matthew, Sadik remarked, "Y'know what, kid? You ain't that bad. Yeah, you're a pretty boy, but I gotta admit – you held it together in the end and didn't lose your cool. Though I almost caught you, looks like you ain't in distress after all."

"There's still the Final Chase," said Van. He smirked, though, "But we're not going to get caught."

"There's still three of you left," said Sadik. "And I'm looking forward to it."

"Still three left," repeated Natsuki.

Everyone looked to see that this time, the camera was focusing on Eiichi, Nagi and Kira.

"The original three," murmured Masato.

"Four down, and three more to go," said Matthew. "Van Kiryuin also made it through the Phantom's phasing, and despite almost getting caught, he was able to get some peace." He then stretched his hand out in direction to the table where all the HEAVENS members were seated at. "Next up, will be the leader of HEAVENS, Eiichi Ootori!"

Eiichi smirked as he pushed his glasses up, causing them to glint sinisterly. He and Van had grabbed hands before bumping shoulders as Van murmured, "Go get 'em, leader!"

Otoya scowled slightly at seeing the eldest son of Raging Ootori reach centre stage.

So far, HEAVENS was doing pretty well with their run of the Chase. Despite a few bumps along the way, they still managed to get through. Even though there were three left and so things could still turn around, after looking at the three remaining members of HEAVENS, Otoya felt that they'd probably make it with everyone still on board.

He was wondering though if they'd get caught in the Final Chase. Though really, he sincerely hoped that he and the rest of STARISH could just make it.

* * *

 **So we've reached past halfway and onto the original three from HEAVENS - Eiichi, Nagi and Kira!**

 **Eiichi will be the next chapter, and quite honestly I'm looking forward to writing the original three from HEAVENS - especially Kira (my second favourite). =^^= like Shion, Van was tricky to write down - I didn't know whether to make him a joker character (since he _does_ go "Just kidding!" when he claims they'll rule the world), or someone who's arrogant but otherwise pretty easygoing. I ended up mixing the two. But so far, Shion and Van were the hardest to write. TTwTT**

 **HEAVENS just keeps on soaring. Will the leader, Eiichi, go for the higher offer or plow with his earnings? Will he get that high? Will anyone else do a risk and take the high offer? Will STARISH also be lucky?**

 **Thoughts are much appreciated! =^^=**

 **Peace out!  
\- Hebi-Kazechi-10**


	9. HEAVENS Chase - Eiichi

**We're getting there with HEAVENS! Just this chapter and three more along with an intermission/STARISH introduction, then finally it's STARISH's turn! 8'D**

 **HUGE thanks to** alycat63 **for the fave and follow;** **and to** Edhead699 **also for the fave and follow; and to** Kiwikowa **for the review! :D**

Kiwikowa: **Will he or won't he? That's the question. OwO STARISH will get their turn after four more chapters as there's still Nagi, Kira and the Final Chase. The intermission will be short, and will also include STARISH's intros like with what HEAVENS did in Chapter 3. X3 it's interesting how much you can actually learn in some shows. owo**

 **Hope you enjoy~**

* * *

"Going to the Final Chase is four," smiled Matthew. "Will there be more?" He turned to the next HEAVENS member who was to play, "And here is the leader of HEAVENS, Eiichi Ootori."

There were suddenly some loud squeals and cheers from the audience noticeably from the large segment of girls that were sitting near the front of the auditorium's stage. Nanami was half and half when it came to her surprise with that.

It was true Eiichi was a good-looking guy as he was tall, lean and fair-faced. She heard that he was very good with the ladies like Ren apparently. Considering the way the girls from the front were cheering really loudly and more eagerly and excitedly for him, that probably had some truth.

But she definitely knew that he was really…quite disconcerting. A shudder crawled down her spine upon thinking that.

Still, she couldn't help but wonder how this Chase was going to turn out.

"Leader of HEAVENS, huh?" Ranmaru drawled with slight disinterest.

"Considering he's Raging Ootori's eldest son, that is not a surprise at all," mused Ai. "He is also part of the original three, after all."

"Hello there, Eiichi," Matthew greeted with a smile.

Eiichi himself smiled in return as he bowed his head a little, "Hello, Matthew."

"I recall from your introduction you mentioned your forte was pop culture, movies and chemistry," recalled Matthew.

"That's correct," responded Eiichi with a nod.

"That's certainly an interesting combination," said Matthew sincerely. "Are you nervous?"

"Not really," Eiichi shook his head. "Since I saw four of my members already perform, I've also seen the Chaser four times."

"Used to Sadik now, are you?" Matthew gave a little chuckle. "That's good. You'll need all the courage you have. Is there anyone in particular you hope to impress in this particular performance?"

Upon this, Eiichi gave a chuckle as he adjusted his glasses. Pushing them up the bridge of his nose back to their perch, they flashed a little under the lights, as his violet eyes darted over.

To gaze right up at the box where Nanami was sitting at.

Matthew's own purple orbs glanced over quickly to catch sight of her. The Canadian host remembered her as the composer for STARISH, since Shining Saotome spoke quite highly of her. He also had seen her with the redhead from that boy group, too. His eyes fixing back onto Eiichi, he noticed that a smirk had spread out onto his face as his eyes were still fixed upon her figure.

Nanami instantly tensed in her place and couldn't help but feel another unpleasant shiver crawl down her spine upon the bespectacled brunette's gaze.

Back in the waiting room, though the camera didn't show where Eiichi was gazing at, the STARISH boys had suspicions.

"He better not," growled Syo as he clenched his hand into a fist.

"He shouldn't," Cecil's brows furrowed down to an angered frown. "And he won't!"

"They failed last time," agreed Natsuki, sounding a bit serious for once.

Masato's voice now very cold, "They most certainly will not try and get her again."

"Little lamb," Ren himself was scowling. "No matter how much he tries, she would never forsake us."

"Not on our watch," Tokiya said sharply. "Not with us here."

Otoya himself was silent as he glared at Eiichi. A flame started to ignite from within him and it fuelled a beast that seemed to awaken from within. The last time Eiichi had acted that way where he was too close to Nanami for comfort, and him claiming that HEAVENS not only wanted to claim victory but her for their composer alarmed the redhead.

The idea of Nanami with Eiichi…

The beast within him roared for the bespectacled HEAVENS member to get slugged in the mouth.

Otoya shook his head when he heard someone call his name. The redhead blinked, "Huh?"

"You okay there, Ikki?" Ren asked, his blue eyes filled with concern. "You were giving death eyes to Ootori for a moment."

"Was I?" Otoya blushed a little before giving a little sheepish laugh. "Sorry about that…"

"Why are you sorry?" questioned Syo with a chuckle. "That's what I was doing, too!"

"Same!" Cecil was smiling as he patted Otoya's shoulder. "So don't worry about it! It's not just you who hates him!"

"My feelings towards him are certainly not hate," said Masato slowly. "But they are definitely on the scale of dislike."

"Oh! They're starting!" exclaimed Natsuki, which prompted everyone to turn watch again.

"Your time…" Matthew spoke up. "Starts…now! What vitamin is also known as pantothenic acid?"

"B5," answered Eiichi smoothly.

"Correct," said Matthew as he moved to the next question. "Which country has the internet domain .fi?"

Eiichi paused slightly before giving his answer, "Finland."

"Correct. A silverback is what type of animal?"

"A gorilla."

"Correct. How many reeds does an oboe have?"

"Two."

"Correct."

Already, Otoya was shocked at seeing the amount that represented Eiichi's total was boosting quite high. The HEAVENS leader was quick and sharp, which, though he honestly was expecting, still astounded him. Four questions were already correct in a row – boosting it to eight hundred thousand yen. Only twenty seconds have passed – meaning Eiichi still had forty to complete.

"Who was the main character from the movie with the song My Heart Will Go On?" inquired Matthew.

"Jack," said Eiichi.

"Correct," nodded Matthew. "Traditionally, how many sins are there?"

"Seven," Eiichi's violet eyes were glowing from behind his glasses.

"And each one probably would fit each of HEAVENS," said Syo, still scowling at the fact Eiichi still didn't get anything wrong yet. "He'd be pride for sure."

"Or perhaps lust," offered Ren. "Since he looks at little lamb in that indecent way."

"True," Cecil nodded. "And that Yamato fellow can be pride instead. That strange guy Shion can be greed since he chose the bigger amount."

"Is that necessarily greed?" questioned Masato. "Seems more like pride to me."

Cecil blinked, "That's true…"

"Well, all of them are prideful," said Tokiya as he crossed his arms over his chest.

This time, Otoya spoke up, "I don't think Eiji Ootori is that prideful. Sumeragi might be, but he doesn't look like it."

Tokiya gave the redhead a hard look as he narrowed his eyes. Otoya simply returned the gaze – not at all intimidated since he was used to that look. The blue-haired idol simply snorted before gazing back at the screen. He decided not to argue back because the redhead _did_ have a point there, as much as he didn't want to admit it.

"What was the name of the Australia's Crocodile Hunter?" queried Matthew.

"Steve Irwin," said Eiichi.

"Correct."

"Will he get something wrong already?" Syo sighed tiredly. "How many did he get correct now?"

"Seven!" Natsuki piped up as he held up one hand and two fingers.

"Really?" Otoya was shocked. "Seven with no mistakes?"

"Not yet, anyway," said Tokiya, now annoyed.

"Mamma Mania is a tribute band to which group?" questioned Matthew.

"Abba," said Eiichi.

"Correct," Matthew nodded. "On which part of the body would a sautoir be worn?"

"A what?" Otoya was confused at hearing that.

"Sautoir," said Cecil as he pointed around his neck. "It's something you wear around your neck." He smiled as he pointed at the rosary around the redhead's neck, "Like those beads you're wearing right now, Otoya. They look lovely."

"Oh, these?" Otoya held onto the wooden cross as he gave a small smile. "Thanks, Cecil."

"That's nine questions correct now," remarked Natsuki.

Syo gave a noise in frustration, "Ugh, can't he get something wrong already?"

"Perhaps he's an alien like that Shion," said Cecil.

"Considering he's the eldest son to Raging Ootori," said Masato. "And he is a lot like Shining Saotome, I would honestly not be at all surprised…"

"On which continent did the samba originate?" asked Matthew.

"South America," responded Eiichi, still looking as confident as ever.

"Correct," nodded Matthew, now smiling a bit more brightly. "In which activity would you find the terms purl and plain?"

This time, Eiichi pondered, which caused a little scowl to cross his brows. He didn't want to waste any time. Darting his violet eyes quickly at the clock, he noticed he had twenty-two seconds left to answer some more questions. "Knitting," he finally responded.

"Correct," Matthew nodded. "What name is given to a badger's setting?"

"A den," said Eiichi.

"A set," corrected Matthew.

"Finally!" Syo looked relieved. "He got something wrong!"

"Indeed," Cecil sighed as he wiped some sweat from his brow. "So he is human after all!"

Otoya laughed, though he had to admit – eleven questions until getting a mistake was pretty good.

But upon that one stumble, things didn't seem to go well for Eiichi for the remaining twenty seconds.

"Which of Shakespeare's plays is the shortest in length?" asked Matthew.

Eiichi's jaw clenched as he tried to think. "Mm…" he grunted before straightening his posture and lifting his head. "Pass."

"The Comedy of Errors," responded Matthew. "Roman Emperor Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus is better known by what name?"

"Erm…" this time, it looked like the pressure was about to go to Eiichi. However his brows furrowed down more as he murmured, "Caesar."

"Caligula," said Matthew.

"He is getting them all wrong now," observed Masato. "I suppose he just lost his nerve at being wrong."

"Looks like it," Otoya nodded.

"A lesson in humility," said Cecil, also nodding. "Hopefully, anyway."

"What is a young pilchard called?" inquired Matthew.

Eiichi was gritting his teeth this time, now looking more unnerved, "Ugh…" His eyes glancing again at the timer, he noticed he had ten seconds left. "Pass."

"Sardine," said Matthew. "What does the Latin phrase _'De die in diem'_ translate to?"

"I…" Eiichi began, but he stopped himself. He shook his head as he gave a slight huff, now starting to feel a little crack take a toll on him. After thinking some more, he shrugged, "Seize the day."

"From day to day," corrected Matthew as the alarm then went off. The Canadian host however smiled gently at the contestant's direction, "Eiichi. Cracked a little bit at the end, but what matters most is what you have. And your start, what a start. _Eleven_ questions in a row correct. Two million two hundred thousand yen gained."

Upon hearing that, Eiichi pushed his glasses back up to their perch as the smirk spread out on his face. He looked proud again as he raised his head up while the lenses of his glasses flashed. Members of the audience were cheering and hooting happily – the girls from before were screaming in delight and clapping uproariously at his success.

"Two million two hundred thousand," echoed Tokiya. "That's the second highest in the cash builder round so far."

"Now, it's time to face the Chaser," Matthew gestured as the question mark again glowed red and gold.

Sadik sauntered out and seated himself with a smirk, "Hello there, Eiichi."

"Hello, Sadik," Eiichi said curtly with a smirk on his own face.

"Leader, huh?" the Turkish man was rubbing his chin. "Well, this'll be fun. I wonder if your Chase will be like your cash builder. You start off well, then you crash and burn!"

Eiichi's gave a chuckle before shaking his head, "Hmph. That was only a slip-up."

"Only a slip-up, huh?" Sadik quirked an eyebrow.

"Two million two hundred thousand is on the game board," announced Matthew as the amount appeared. "Eiichi, if you want to get closer to the bank at home, then the Chaser will offer you."

"Doubt you'll do it, _leader_ ," Sadik sneered. "Five hundred thousand."

"But if you want to take a chance and face the Phantom," said Matthew. "Then he'll offer you."

Sadik raised his head as he said clearly, "Will the leader go to the front of the battlefield? Five million five hundred thousand."

There were whistles around the audience as Eiichi quirked an eyebrow himself. He gazed closely at the amount as it appeared on the board above what he earned in his cash builder.

"If he is able to gain that, then their amount will raise much higher," Masato remarked.

"Ten million nine hundred thousand is what they have already," agreed Tokiya. "It will boost to sixteen million four hundred thousand if he can get it."

"Considering he cracked when he started getting something wrong," said Ren coolly. "He might crack in his own race."

Eiichi turned to his teammates to listen to them.

Nagi was clapping his hands, "Oooh, Eiichi, if you can get that, then that'll be amazing!"

"Hell yeah, it would!" Yamato also looked really eager. "That'd boost it up to around fifteen million!"

"But your amount is fine, too," surmised Eiji. He rubbed at the back of his neck, "Two million two hundred thousand is also really good." He inwardly cringed a little when the bespectacled man gave him a sharp look. "B-but!" he gave a weak smile. "If you're confident with your abilities, I'm sure you'll do fine. Just have more confidence in yourself!"

Van this time spoke up, "Look, if you can get the higher amount, that's great, leader! But we need you for the Final Chase, too. You're our leader!"

"Every army needs its general to lead them in battle," agreed Shion. "We are no exception."

Kira said nothing as this time, much to Otoya's surprise, the dark-haired idol didn't look at Eiichi. Instead, his eyes were softly shut.

Eiichi nodded, "Thank you, all. But to be honest, I had my mind set up a long time ago." Turning back to the game board, he pushed his glasses up again before leering at Sadik, "I'm always ready to reach the front, and soar high! I'll take your high offer!"

Back at the HEAVENS table, Eiji bit his bottom lip while Van looked nervous. Shion this time looked surprised, while Yamato and Nagi were gazing in awe and eagerness. Kira opened his eyes this time, though they were focusing at the floor.

In all honesty, the dark-haired idol expected that.

Sadik whistled, "Ha! Let's see if this pays off, or if you've just dug up your own grave!"

"So we take a step _closer_ to the Chaser, and the other amounts are gone!" announced Matthew, looking quite excited himself. "For five million five hundred thousand, the Chase is _on_!" The stage flashed again before settling on its darker and more serious atmosphere.

"I'm not surprised he went for the higher offer," said Otoya.

"Yeah," agreed Syo. "He's a jerk with a big ego, after all."

"Do you think he'll get caught?" questioned Cecil. "I think he might. Since he cracked at the end of his cash builder round, he might end up screwing it up."

"But he can recover, too," surmised Masato. "And he could end up getting a lot of questions right. Maybe even not have a mistake like Amakusa-san."

"We can only watch and see," said Tokiya, which prompted everyone else to gaze back at the screen again.

"First question," said Matthew. "Blue Mountain is prized rabica coffee bean first grown in which country? A) Jamaica, b) Afghanistan, c) Vietnam."

Sadik was quick to hit that button. After rubbing his chin, Eiichi also pressed one of the buttons.

"You put," Matthew peered at the answer Eiichi gave. "A) Jamaica. Are you crazy about coffee?"

"I prefer cappuccinos myself," said Eiichi. "But I do like trying coffee. The stronger, the better."

Matthew gave a nod as he spoke up, "Correct answer is…" When the answer flashed green, the Canadian host smiled while Eiichi's smirk stretched out wider on his face, "Jamaica. A step away from the Phantom. What has our resident spook put?"

Sadik's smirk widened as well when his answer was shown to be the same as Eiichi's. He then gave Matthew a look, "C'mon, you know me already and how crazy _I_ am with my coffee!"

Matthew laughed, "That's true. Next question. Where is the Utopian plain? Is it a) Mars, b) The Sahara Desert, or c) Peru."

This time, much to everyone's shock, Sadik looked unsure.

The Turkish Chaser's face contorted to a hard, serious expression as he rubbed his chin and glowered down at the buttons. Eiichi however pressed his button first, which caused the Turk to eventually also press one of the buttons.

"For once the Chaser looks unsure," remarked Masato in amazement.

"Do you think he'll get it wrong?" asked Natsuki. "That would be the first time he would've gotten something wrong."

"Perhaps?" Ren shrugged. "This question is a strange one."

"Do any of you guys know?" wondered Otoya. "I don't know…"

"Don't look at me," Syo shook his head. "I have no clue."

Cecil gave a nervous laugh, "Neither do I…"

Tokiya narrowed his eyes, "Hmm…I'll say Mars." Being given strange looks from his fellow bandmates, "It's because it seems the most out of place answer. Why bother putting that there?"

"Unless they're trying to trick you?" joked Otoya. Seeing Tokiya's indigo orbs widen at that point being put up, the redhead quickly spoke up, "I was just kidding!"

"Eiichi, you put down," Matthew looked up at the answer. "A) Mars. The correct answer is…Mars! Another step away from the Chaser. Meanwhile, our Chaser took a while to think, so let's see what he put."

When Eiichi's answer was also surrounded by a red border, Sadik spoke up as his panel moved forward again, "It was a coin toss between Sahara and Mars. Definitely not Peru. Hey, I can guess, too, y'know! Even we Chasers don't know everything. _Almost_ everything, though."

"Good one, Tokiya!" marvelled Cecil. "That was brilliant!"

"It was just common sense," said Tokiya. Though he did look a bit rattled himself at getting the question correct.

"What is the term for the slope of a theatre stage from the back towards the footlights?" queried Matthew. "A) Lie, b) Rake, c) Camber."

Eiichi was quick to hit one of the buttons again. Sadik also pressed on one with his big, callous hand.

"Very close between you two," Matthew smiled. "Let's see what you put. B) Rake. Correct answer is…" When Eiichi's answer flashed green, Matthew added, "Take another step closer to home. The Phantom put…"

Unsurprisingly, Sadik got the question correct again.

"He needs three more questions correct before he can make it," said Masato. "He can still crack during then."

"And things could go downhill from there," agreed Otoya.

"Francis Scott Key's poem _'Defence of Fort McHenry'_ became the lyric to which country's national anthem?" asked Matthew. "A) Ireland, b) Scotland, or c) USA."

This time, Eiichi frowned as he looked at the question, then at the buttons. After some thought, Sadik pressed his button before the HEAVENS member. However, the glasses-clad brunette was still in thought, now licking his lips, unsure.

"You have to pick something, Eiichi," Matthew reminded soothingly.

Eiichi clenched his jaw again before finally pressing one of the buttons.

"You put," Matthew looked up as one of the answers lit up. "B) Scotland."

"I was thinking of McHenry," said Eiichi, now looking a bit shaken. "I thought of Scotland."

"The correct answer is," Matthew nodded up at the question.

After a little while, the correct answer lit up in green.

"C) USA," said Matthew as he flinched slightly. Eiichi grit his teeth as his posture grew rigid. There were some shocked squeals from the girls as they looked frightened at the possibility of the leader of HEAVENS getting caught.

"Looks like he might start cracking now," said Syo when Sadik got the question correct and was now directly behind Eiichi.

"You can still pick this up, Eiichi," reassured Matthew. "One mistake won't matter when you continue to do things right."

"Yeah," Eiichi gave a nod as he the smirk was gone from his face. Instead, he was gazing down at the buttons intently. His expression this time serious, and his eyes a bit hardened.

This expression was a new one, and it honestly unnerved Otoya. Usually Eiichi Ootori was an expressive person where he was overconfident, proud and also arrogant. However, this expression was the reverse of what he was usually.

It was serious, stoic and subdued.

"I have never seen Ootori-san giving that face before," commented Masato.

"Maybe he's focusing," said Natsuki.

"Realizing this is not just a game," remarked Ren. "Perhaps he is. Since they're playing for Kira Sumeragi's cause. Whatever that is."

Otoya then remembered that Eiichi, along with Kira and Nagi, were the original three members of HEAVENS. Unsurprisingly, they'd probably be a close bunch, despite how unpleasant and antagonistic they could get (except perhaps Kira who didn't say anything at least). So maybe Ren had a point – perhaps Eiichi was then realizing the stakes if he slipped up again and got caught. He'd be humiliated and eliminated, yes, but at the same time, he would've let down one of his bandmates, and also have cost money for a good cause, as well.

At least, that's what Otoya hoped was going through Eiichi's mind at the moment, anyway.

"One of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World is traditionally known as he Hanging Gardens of where?" inquired Matthew. "A) Babylon, b) Rhodes, c) Pharos."

Sadik pressed his button quite quickly again. Eiichi meanwhile was rubbing at his chin as his eyes narrowed. His jaw was still tightened, but after a bit of thought, he pressed a button himself.

"You put, Babylon," said Matthew.

Eiichi simply nodded this time, as he gazed at the question intently. When it was shown that it was correct, he exhaled a little as he moved forward. Sadik however got it right and moved right behind him again. The Turkish man looked very amused at the discomfort and pressure that the bespectacled HEAVENS leader was in.

"Two more steps," reassured Matthew. "You can do it! Often severely disrupting sleep, RLS stands for _'restless what syndrome'_? A) Lid, b) Leg, or c) Liver."

Eiichi looked at the buttons a little before pressing. He was only a second or two after Sadik, who once more, was quick as lightning. When he got the question correct again, the glasses-clad brunette nodded as he again moved to the edge of the game board. However, Sadik, once more, moved directly behind him again. Right on his tail.

"Sadik has him backed into a corner now," said Tokiya. "It's all or nothing."

"You can see he's really cracking under the pressure now," remarked Ren. "He's trying to keep calm."

Otoya honestly couldn't help but feel a little sorry for the HEAVENS leader. Even though he shouldn't since Eiichi was one of the more jerkish and antagonistic members towards them, and how he seemed to relish seeing others getting uncomfortable or in discomfort, as well as Otoya just plain not liking how he looked and acted towards Nanami, the redhead just couldn't help but feel bad.

' _Maybe it's because I feel more sorry for the cause they're playing for?'_ he wondered. However, he watched intently, now feeling on edge as the final question for Eiichi Ootori popped up.

"The tallest skyscraper at Manhattan's rebuilt World Trade Centre has been dubbed the _'what Tower'_?" asked Matthew. "Is it A) Liberty, b) Freedom, or c) Victory?"

Sadik once more pressed the button as he peered intently at the HEAVENS leader. Though he was quite amused at seeing him crack under the pressure, he was very interested at seeing this sudden seriousness that overcame him.

"Let's see what you put," said Matthew.

The answer for freedom was lit up.

"B) Freedom," remarked Matthew. "For five million five hundred thousand yen, show us freedom!"

Eiichi was staring right at the options, his eyes were transfixed onto his answer as if he was silently willing for it to flash green. His brows were furrowed down to a scowl as his whole figure was rigid and straight.

The whole auditorium was silent as they watched at the edge of their seats to see if it was make or break for the HEAVENS member.

That was when freedom turned green.

Eiichi relaxed his shoulders as he hunched over slightly and the stage flashed electric blue. His winnings added to the money pot – boosting the amount to sixteen million four hundred thousand. The girls were screaming in high-pitched delight as they were clapping happily at his success.

Matthew was smiling much more warmly as he congratulated the brunette, "Well done, Eiichi! See? You did it."

When Eiichi straightened himself, he once more adjusted his glasses up to their perch as they flashed sinisterly. He smirked from ear-to-ear as he nodded, "All you can do is pick yourself up when you fall."

Sadik raised his head as he called, "Not bad, kid. Got my respect there." He shrugged, "Then again, anyone who goes for the higher amounts automatically gets my respect. You may have won the battle, but this war ain't over, _leader_."

Eiichi's eye twitched a bit as his smirk widened on his face at Sadik's leering. However, he bowed his head in Matthew's direction before shaking hands with him, and returning to his spot.

On the way, though, he suddenly patted at Kira's shoulder.

Then, he leaned over and appeared to have whispered something in the dark-haired idol's ear.

Otoya wasn't sure if what he saw wasn't part of his imagination, but he saw that Kira didn't seem to look so moved or surprised. He simply grunted as Eiichi took his place. Eiichi noticeably wasn't smirking or smiling anymore, either.

"Five are now in the troops," said Matthew. "And their leader is with them. Will they gain two more soldiers at the battlefield? Nagi Mikado…"

Said member perked up and was grinning happily as he raised his arm, "Yep, that's me~!"

"It is now your turn," smiled Matthew as Nagi happily got up and bounced over.

"HEAVENS now has a lot," remarked Syo. "Geez…"

"The Chaser still gets things right, yet they still make it!" Cecil himself looked incredulous. "They really _must_ be studying hard!"

It just made Otoya remember that just because HEAVENS were nasty to them (well, most of them, anyway), and loved to gloat in front of them, didn't mean they didn't care for each other or charity. They were an idol group, just like them, and, recalling what Nagi had even said earlier, there was truth in that statement. They weren't there to show off in front of STARISH, gloat, or steal Nanami. Perhaps maybe now Eiichi Ootori might be thinking about it since they were there, but HEAVENS was ultimately there for another reason

They were there to help a good cause for a friend.

* * *

 **And now there were two. owo**

 **I always thought that despite being jerkish douches to STARISH (well, most of them anyway), HEAVENS would become a tight group, too. At least, that's my interpretation. And though there's some vitriol and stuff like that at first, it never really gets in the way of certain bonds. Of course, I can't say for sure now that there are four members, but I always imagined that between Eiichi, Kira and Nagi, they were still friends.**

 **That, and if Eiichi did get caught, I feel that not only will he get some verbal lashing from Raging Ootori, but majorly screwing up to get money for a good cause or charity by choosing to risk the money instead of playing more safely would ruin his image.**

 **More money is added to HEAVENS. How will their youngest member fare? What did Eiichi say to Kira? Will there be anymore risks? How high will STARISH get when it's their turn? How high will HEAVENS end up getting?**

 **Tune in~**

 **Thoughts are much appreciated! =^^=**

 **Peace out!  
\- Hebi-Kazechi-10**


	10. HEAVENS Chase - Nagi

**Sorry for the delay, but don't worry! Next chapter will be out tomorrow - especially because that one, I'm excited about. 8D**

 **Anyway, HUGE thanks to** PurplePrincess05 **for the review! :D**

PurplePrincess05: **Norway is quite the attractive bae, isn't he~? w though he's not my number one Nordic (Iceland is), I still really like him. :D will he be playing against STARISH? We shall see~ ewe**

 **Hope you enjoy~**

* * *

"Eiichi Ootori had just played," remarked Matthew. "So now the there are five in HEAVENS on to the Final Chase. Now with their leader in tow! Will there be two more joining the ranks?" He then smiled as he turned to the shortest of the boy group, "Here playing now, is Nagi Mikado."

Nagi was beaming brightly as he waved first at Matthew, then at the audience, "Hi! Hello, everyone~!"

"Cutie Nagi~!" many members of the audience were screaming in delight as they also clapped uproariously. Nagi looked really happy and pleased at the cheers he got.

"Wish they knew how much of a jerk that brat really is," grumbled Syo – still remembering the first time they met when the salmon-haired boy blew a raspberry in his face.

"Yeah," agreed Cecil. "He was so rude! He's so fake…"

"Perhaps someday karma will come and claim him," said Masato. "Perhaps even today when he faces the Chaser."

Natsuki heaved a sigh, "A shame he's like that. He actually really is cute…"

"Nacchan," Ren said soothingly. "Honestly, you can be too nice for your own good, sometimes."

Otoya simply nodded at the sax player's statement. When it came to the brunt of Nagi's rudeness, Natsuki did indeed get the most of it. The poor, glasses-clad boy only complimented him, and when Nagi offered to shake hands (to which Natsuki obviously wanted to do so), the youngest HEAVENS member slapped his hand away and remarked that he couldn't believe he'd think he would be able to shake hands with him.

Poor Natsuki was shocked with that. Not just him, though, everyone else was, too.

"Now…well," Matthew gave a chuckle. "You probably know what will happen next, right?"

"Yup!" Nagi was beaming and his arms dropped to clasp at his front. He was bouncing slightly on his heels. "Fast money round?"

"Fast money round," nodded Matthew. "Answer as many as you can in the time limit. Ready?"

"Ready!" Nagi looked really eager. His grey eyes seemed to be omitting sparks, and he stopped bouncing.

"Your time…starts…now!" called Matthew. "How many labours were performed by Hercules?"

"Twelve~!" responded Nagi quite happily.

"Correct," said Matthew. "What note do orchestras typically tune up to?"

"A~" Nagi gave a wink before turning back momentarily to look at Shion. The steel-eyed, pale-haired HEAVENS member simply looked back.

However, Otoya could've sworn he saw the corners of his lips twitch up a little.

"What is the Fahrenheit boiling point of water?" questioned Matthew."

"Two hundred and twelve degrees~" answered Nagi as he gave one small bounce on his heels.

"Correct," said Matthew. "What chemical element has the atomic number of eighteen?"

"Again…who can even answer this stuff?" queried Syo as he scratched his head. "Atomic number?"

Otoya shook his head – quite bewildered. Cecil also shared the same expression while Ren shrugged half-heartedly. Natsuki was simply watching throughout the whole thing.

Nagi, on the other hand, appeared to be thinking. His head was swaying slightly before he answered with a smile, "Argon~!"

"Correct," Matthew smiled back.

"How the…?!" Syo was shocked. "Isn't he like thirteen or something?!"

"He is, I am pretty sure," Masato also looked shaken. "Perhaps…they teach children more academic things nowadays? How many did he get?"

"Four," responded Natsuki. His eyes were fixed onto the screen as Otoya noticed he looked pretty serious instead of calm or smiling.

"A person who suffers from hippophobia has a fear of what?" questioned Matthew.

"Hmm…" Nagi was tapping at his chin while his eyes rolled slightly up to the ceiling. He seemed to be deep in thought, and didn't seem to at all mind or care about the timer, which was something that Otoya found shocking.

The rest of HEAVENS looked nervous, meanwhile. Most of them had their eyes glued onto the timer with worried, nervous or unsettled faces. Even Eiichi took a quick glance to the side with his violet eyes before they darted back to his youngest bandmate. His face noticeably appeared hardened.

The only one who didn't look so worried was Kira. The dark-haired idol simply gazed at Nagi with a lack of expression on his face and body.

Otoya was wondering what was running through the silent, golden-eyed HEAVENS member's mind right now.

"Horses?" Nagi then asked cutely. Some people in the audience were squealing in delight at his display.

Matthew chuckled a little before nodding, "Correct."

"Yay!" Nagi clapped his hands excitedly as the Canadian host asked the next question.

"What type of fruit would you pick from a Mirabelle tree?"

"A plum," Nagi's face then pulled to a sad pout as he then rubbed at his stomach. "Now, Im' hungry…"

Matthew looked really amused, "Correct. The character Shylock appears in which Shakespearean play?"

"The Merchant of Venice~!" announced Nagi, now appearing to be bouncing back.

"Correct! What is the fourth sign of the Western zodiac?"

"Cancer!"

"Correct."

"How many was that this time?" questioned Syo as he took off his hat and rubbed at his head. "My head's kinda spinning…"

"That's seven now," responded Natsuki – not even looking at anyone else. This worried Otoya a bit.

"The metal or plastic end of a shoelace is called a what?" asked Matthew.

"An aglet~" chimed out Nagi.

"Correct!"

"That's eight questions with no mistakes so far," Tokiya scowled. "I wonder if he might end up like Eiichi Ootori."

"Hope he does," Syo sniffed. "Kid's a real jerk. Screwing up on things like this would do him good."

"Very true," agreed Cecil. "He looks and seems really spoiled. Wanting to have things done in his way, and treating others badly."

"The psychological methodology NLP stands for Neuro what Programming?" inquired Matthew.

"Linguistic~!" smiled Nagi.

"Correct!"

"Make that nine," said Ren, now looking a bit uneasy at the kid getting that number of questions without any mistakes."

"That is already past Hyuga-san's amount," said Masato. "And now the same as Kiryuin-san."

"What colour is the gemstone, garnet?" asked Matthew.

"It's gold, isn't it?" Syo answered questioningly.

"Red~!" rung out Nagi.

"Correct!" smiled Matthew.

"Damn it!" Syo looked really frustrated. "Got it wrong and he got it right! Just how?!"

"I suppose gemstones aren't really your forte, ochibi-chan," laughed Ren good-naturedly. "Though to be fair, garnets do sound like they would be gold, don't they?"

"Garnet and gold," agreed Cecil before Syo could snap at his longhaired bandmate for calling him with that dreaded nickname again. "It's an honest mistake, Syo! Don't worry!"

"That's ten now, though," remarked Otoya. "Didn't Shion Amakusa reach that many questions?"

"That's right," confirmed Tokiya with a nod. "If Nagi Mikado gets the next question right, then he is at the same level of Eiichi Ootori."

"What is the second book of the Bible's Old Testament?" asked Matthew.

Nagi was tapping at his bottom lip as his eyes peered up to the ceiling again. He appeared to be thinking again – once more not paying any attention to the timer unlike his fellow HEAVENS members.

Otoya noticed that the timer then reached twenty seconds. He was quite surprised that Nagi didn't get anything wrong, and wasn't asked that many questions. However, due to the salmon-haired boy taking his time thinking and answering, it wasn't that surprising.

"Oh, right!" Nagi's eyes lit up. "Exodus!"

"Correct," Matthew nodded.

"There you go," said Ren. "He's reached the same amount as Ootori."

"It took him a while to think for the answer," noted Masato. "Now he has thirteen seconds left to answer questions."

"If he answers it correctly, then that is the same as Eiji Ootori," said Tokiya. "And that's the highest HEAVENS had reached without taking the offer from the Chaser yet."

"During which war was the Battle of Cold Harbour?" questioned Matthew.

Again, Nagi appeared to be thinking. He had his finger on his bottom lip, and his eyes were looking up at the ceiling again. He swayed a little bit as he hummed to himself in thought, "Hmm…"

Back at the HEAVENS table, the members, sans Kira, appeared on edge. Yamato was gritting his teeth; Eiji also appeared to be doing so, but he was covering at his mouth with his hands; Shion's eyes continued darting between the two; Van's body became rigid; Eiichi's jaw clenched. Kira on the other hand, didn't look at all miffed or bothered.

The timer reached five seconds before Nagi snapped his fingers and spoke up triumphantly, "Ahh~! The American Civil War~"

The horn then rang out throughout the auditorium as the amount was added to Nagi's total.

"Sadly, we didn't have time for another question," said Matthew. "But Nagi… _twelve_ questions right. That gives you two million four hundred thousand yen!"

The audience was cheering and screaming happily as they applauded. Nagi was giggling before tilting his head cutely, "Thank you very much~!"

"It's now time to face the Chaser," announced Matthew as he turned towards the ramp and the game board.

The stage immediately flashed red with orange, yellow and white lights – announcing the presence of the Turkish man. Sadik was grinning madly as usual as he sauntered back to his seat. He was rubbing his hands again while Nagi tilted his head to the other side while looking up at him.

When he sat down, the lights flashed again as the warm coloured lights disappeared so that the stage change back to electric blue. The Phantom drawled, "Hello there, Nagi."

"Hi~!" Nagi waved up at him – not at all looking frightened or intimidated by the large man.

"Small, but smart, it seems," Sadik raised his head up so that his nose was high up in the air. "Slow, too."

Nagi gave a pout as he jutted his lip out. This caused Matthew to speak up, "Now, that's not nice, Sadik."

Sadik grinned again, "Remember? I was never the most benevolent of spirits."

"Well, let's start and put some money on the table," sighed Matthew as Nagi's two million four hundred thousand yen appeared on the game board. "If you want to take a step closer to home, then the Chaser will offer you…"

"Will you run off home to mama?" Sadik gave a wicked jeer. "Four hundred thousand."

The amount appeared beneath Nagi's total. The salmon-haired boy was gazing intently at the amounts of the game board.

"But if you want to take a step _closer_ to the Chaser," said Matthew. "Then the offer becomes…"

"Think you can play with the big boys?" grinned Sadik. "How about four million seven hundred thousand?"

Nagi's eyes widened as once more, whistles were heard. Van being one of those who whistled. Everyone else just stared as the amount appeared on the game board.

"Think he'll get it?" Otoya asked his own bandmates.

"Probably will," said Syo. "He's an arrogant jerk."

"Yes," agreed Masato with a nod. "I would not at all be surprised if he did. Though…he did not lose his composure at all like Eiichi, so I have a feeling that if he _did_ aim high, then he will make it."

Much to everyone's surprise, Nagi didn't actually listen to what his teammates had to say. Instead, he gave a big grin before piping up, "Sorry, everyone! But like Eiichi, I've been thinking of doing this from the very beginning!" He then turned to the HEAVENS member at the right end of the table, "This is for you, Kira~! I'll play for the big amount! I'm not scared!"

Sadik simply arched an eyebrow as the game board wiped itself of Nagi's earnings, as well as the lower price. The Turkish man however guffawed, "You got guts, kid. But just reminding you – you're in a man's game now. So, don't expect me to go easy on you at all, little boy."

Nagi simply smiled sweet back, "Okay~"

"For four million seven hundred thousand yen," called Matthew. "The Chase is _on_!"

The stage flashed once more before settling to a darker indigo to settle the serious atmosphere. Sadik had a wicked smirk on his face while Nagi looked more determined. Throughout everything, Kira just stared – he didn't at all react or look surprised like how he did when Shion played for the larger amount.

"Told you," sighed Syo. "What an arrogant jerk…"

"How about we try answering the questions this time?" Otoya spoke up. When everyone looked at him, the redhead explained, "As a sort of preparation when it's our turn, y'know? We'll pick every time they ask a question now."

"We've all actually been doing that in our heads, I think," said Tokiya. "But yes, it'd make good practice."

"Most of these questions either suck, or are too damn hard," said Syo. "But hey, I'll definitely try!"

"Alicante, Golden Boy, and Piranto are types of what vegetable?" questioned Matthew. "A) Tomato, b) Potato, or c) Capsicum?"

Sadik pressed his button quickly again. Nagi once more was tapping at his bottom lip to show he was thinking. After a few seconds, he pressed a button as well.

"Well, what do you think?" asked Ren.

"I think it's a potato," said Syo, though he looked really unsure. "What about you guys?"

Otoya shrugged, "I guess I'll go with that, too."

"Really?" Cecil looked surprised. "I think it sounds more like a capsicum."

"Actually," this time Masato spoke up. "Those are all types of tomato."

"So it's a, then?" inquired Otoya. He turned to his friend, "What about you, Tokiya? What do you think?"

Tokiya scowled as he rubbed his chin, "Really, I don't know. I don't cook." However after thinking some more, he responded, "I suppose tomato sounds the most logical to me."

"We'll just see what the correct answer is," said Ren as he pointed at the screen.

To reveal that Nagi himself had picked the same answer as Masato and Tokiya. When it flashed green, Nagi looked really pleased with himself as he took a step away. Sadik's answer was the same, and he moved onto the game board, as a result.

Syo meanwhile looked irritated, "Ugh…so it wasn't a potato…"

Otoya now felt nervous at getting the answer wrong. If that was him in Nagi's place, Sadik would immediately be right _behind_ him. Though he wanted to play higher to get more money for the orphanage, he definitely wasn't the smartest out of the group, and so he could easily get caught by someone with such a calibre for academics and trivia like the Phantom and the rest of his haunted keep.

Cecil pouted, "I got it wrong, too." However, he smiled at both Masato and Tokiya, "Good job getting that right, though!"

Masato dipped his head, though a slight blush appeared on his cheeks from the compliment, "I do cook, so I do know a thing or two about food."

"And not to mention you and Tokiya are part of _Onkochishin Futatabi_ ," Otoya was grinning as he gave the blue-haired scion a thumbs-up. "Nice one, Masa!"

"Which geological era is divided into the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous periods?" inquired Matthew. "Is it a) Cenozoic, b) Mesozoic, or c) Paleozoic?"

This time, Nagi pressed the button quite quickly – in fact, he was able to lock his answer in before Sadik. This surprised the Turkish man who looked at him with both his thick eyebrows arched up. However, he leaned back and rubbed his stubbled chin, appearing interested.

"Again, these questions…" Syo sighed. "Who could even answer them?"

"Jurassic…" breathed Otoya. "Wait, that's the time of the dinosaurs, wasn't it?"

Tokiya nodded, "That's correct. But what era?"

Otoya frowned a little as he stared at the question. After some thought, he heaved a sigh, "Honestly, I don't know…" He turned to everyone else, "What about you guys?"

"I'll say Paleozoic," said Syo, looking determined.

Cecil nodded, "I agree with that one – Paleozoic!"

"Why not Cenozoic?" questioned Ren. He gave a little chuckle, "Though it'll probably be not right…"

"Perhaps it is Mesozoic," said Masato thoughtfully.

Once more, Nagi got the correct answer, which was revealed to be Mesozoic. Sadik also got the question right, and continued to move forward.

Syo once more looked frustrated, "Another one wrong?!"

Cecil gave a sad sigh, "Don't worry, Syo. I got it wrong, too…"

"Don't give up, though," Ren tried to reassure the two and Otoya. He noticed the redhead look more worried and nervous, and so he tried to ease the atmosphere and take the encouraging role, "There's still more questions – I'm sure you'll do better."

"In medieval mythology, the basilisk was the king of what animal?" asked Matthew. "A) Serpents, b) Wolves, or c) Birds."

"Oh! I can answer this one!" Otoya perked up. "It's a!"

"The king of serpents?" inquired Tokiya as he arched an eyebrow. When it was shown to be correct, the dark-haired idol arched an eyebrow, "And it's right, too. Good job."

"Where'd you get that answer from, Otoya?" questioned Cecil, his green eyes sparkling at the redhead's correct answer.

Otoya gave a laugh, "From Harry Potter, actually."

"Oh, yeah!" Syo perked up, too. "Why didn't I remember that? That was a pretty awesome scene! When he faced that giant snake in the Chamber of Secrets!"

"Out of the following," said Matthew. "Which of these is classified as a _'soft'_ skill? A) Analysing, b) Monitoring, or c) Counselling."

Nagi once more looked to be deep in thought before he pressed a button. He had followed after Sadik, who was peering down at him intensely. The salmon-haired boy cutely tilted his head before waving up at him. Sadik arched an eyebrow.

"A _'soft'_ skill?" Otoya echoed, now unsure. None of those sounded soft to him – they all sounded like pretty heavy tasks in his opinion.

"Soft skills are skills that involve people and communications," explained Tokiya. "So it'll be c) Counselling, then."

When Nagi's answer showed to be the same as Tokiya's, and therefore correct, the boy looked really happy again – bouncing on his heels once more as he clapped his hands happily. When Sadik also got the answer correct, he explained what Tokiya had said before.

"When it's our turn, you should definitely play for the higher offer, Tokiya," said Cecil. "You're really smart!"

Tokiya's face tinged with a slight blush at the compliment, however he shrugged a shoulder, "Perhaps. I'm unsure yet."

"Only two more steps home," smiled Matthew at Nagi. "You're doing really well, Nagi. Continue it on, and you'll get there in no time!"

"He really is doing quite well," remarked Masato. "Nothing wrong yet."

"It could still go downhill," said Syo. "In just two steps, anything can happen!" Though really, the blonde knew deep down that the youngest HEAVENS member was probably going to make it.

"What is the young of a rabbit called?" asked Matthew. "a) Pup, b) Kit, or c) Cub."

Nagi looked really happy at the question as well, which prompted him to press the button quite energetically. Sadik narrowed his eyes a little at seeing how quick the boy was. Still, he seemed pretty amused, if anything.

"A baby rabbit?" Syo was rubbing at his chin. "Huh…y'know, I never thought of that before."

"Oh, wouldn't you know, Natsuki?" Cecil smiled as he clapped his hands. "You had all the animal books, so you must know!"

Natsuki was watching very intently at the screen the whole time without a word. However, when he heard his name, he craned his head. "Oh?" he appeared a little confused. "What is it?"

"Were you daydreaming again, Nacchan?" inquired Ren with a teasing smile.

Natsuki laughed, "A little bit. But what was it? A baby rabbit?" He then looked really ecstatic at the thought, "Oh…kits are so adorable, don't you think~?"

"There you go, then," said Syo. "It's b." When indeed, it was shown to be that, the blonde huffed, "This kid…he's a freak, I swear! Who even knows this stuff when they're _thirteen_?!"

"Kira loves rabbits!" grinned Nagi. "He loves to cuddle and play with them! Isn't that right, Kira?" he turned to face the dark-haired HEAVENS member.

Kira simply dipped his head as he gazed forward, which seemed to be his way of saying yes.

Otoya found that highly surprising that such a serious and silent looking guy could love something so cute. However, when the camera settled on Kira for a moment, the redhead noticed that the golden pin on Kira's collar was in the shape of a rabbit.

This made him very curious. He hadn't noticed that before, and was now wondering why a rabbit, and how he got that pin.

"Just one more, Nagi," smiled Matthew. "One more, and you've made it! Are you ready?"

"I'm ready~!" Nagi looked pumped as some members of the audience were giggling and squealing at his eagerness.

"Quite possibly your final question," said Matthew. "In a 2014 report, how many people were estimated to play the mobile video game _'Candy Crush Saga'_ daily? Is it a) 93 million, b) 9 million, or c) 930 million."

Nagi was this time peering down at the answers as he tilted his head. Sadik himself looked like he was in deep thought before he pressed a button.

"You need to pick something, Nagi," said Matthew gently.

Nagi tilted his head to the other side before finally wrinkling his nose a little. He then finally pressed one of the buttons and stood up straight again.

"Your answer is…" Matthew looked up. "Ninety-three million. Do you play the game?"

Nagi nodded, "Sometimes. Eiji plays it more than me, though!"

Eiji was blushing slightly from his spot as he rubbed at the back of his neck while Yamato chuckled and smacked his back. Some members of the audience were snickering, while others cooed in interest with that gaining of information.

"For four million seven hundred thousand yen," called out Matthew. "Show us ninety-three million!"

"Do you think that's right?" questioned Cecil.

"Seems right," admitted Tokiya. "Nine hundred and thirty million sounds too much, honestly."

There was a deep silence that hung in the air upon waiting to see whether Nagi got the question right. Nagi however didn't look so fazed – he was staring at the answer he put up with a determined spark in his grey eyes.

That was when his answer flashed green.

Upon getting it correct, the stage also lit up in electric blue colours again, as Nagi immediately burst in happiness. He was jumping up and down as he clapped his hands in delight. The audience as well was screaming and squealing in elation as their clapping and cheering filled the auditorium. On the HEAVENS' table, the amount of sixteen million four hundred thousand increased to twenty-one million one hundred thousand. Yamato had given a roar of triumph while Eiji sighed in relief; Shion himself had closed his eyes and exhaled while Van also looked relieved, but excited with Nagi's success. Eiichi also looked relieved, but he simply pushed his glasses back up before smirking. Kira looked the same as he did from the start of Nagi's round.

"Splendid," Matthew smiled warmly. "That was very good, Nagi!"

"Thank you so much~!" Nagi was grinning brightly as he shook Matthew's hand with both of his.

"Gotta hand it to ya, kid," Sadik nodded, looking pretty amused and legitimately impressed. "You're really brave. Good job, there."

Nagi then waved his arm, "Thank you, Mr Chaser!"

"Tch," Sadik laughed. "Don't need to be so cutesy around me, kid! You just played a man's game back there!"

"Back to your seat now, please, Nagi," Matthew said gently.

"Oh! Right!" Nagi then turned to the audience and called. "Thank you for having me~!"

"Cutie Nagi!" members of the audience screamed out in delight.

"Yup, that's me!" Nagi grinned. "Your cosmically cute idol!" and with that, he raced over back to the HEAVENS table and took his seat between Eiichi and Kira. Eiichi ruffled his hair, which seemed to make the boy quite satisfied. Van had also reached over to pat his shoulder, and Yamato gave two thumbs-up while Eiji smiled.

"That kid..." Syo sighed. "He's an evil genius. Seriously, he's gotta be."

"Past twenty million, too," breathed Cecil. "And they still have one more member left."

"Kira Sumeragi," said Masato as his dark blue eyes narrowed.

"Six out of seven," Matthew smiled. "From the boy group called HEAVENS. But we have one more to face the Chaser, and…" when he looked over to face Kira who simply looked back, the Canadian host chuckled, "I think this will be one match to remember. The final member of HEAVENS to play – it's Kira Sumeragi."

Kira slowly got up from his seat as he steadily walked over to Matthew. Behind him at the HEAVENS table, his fellow bandmates were cheering loudly – noticeably Yamato and Nagi who were hooting wildly. The groups of girls then giggled and squealed in delight upon seeing him, but other members appeared enamoured by him.

Otoya was watching closely when Kira stood in the spot where they were supposed to be standing, and slowly clasped his hands at his front. His pale yellow eyes were fixed onto the floor at first before he shut them.

Then, after a few seconds, they opened to reveal a cool fire swirling within.

Kira Sumeragi was there for a good cause. And, in Otoya's opinion, it looked like nothing would be able to stop him.

Not with that blaze that burned in his eyes. Despite the lack of expression on his face, he looked determined.

Determined to win.

* * *

 **And we've now reached the final HEAVENS member, who will be playing in the next chapter, which will be uploaded tomorrow. :D**

 **It was mentioned in Nagi's game profile which is on the official** Uta no Prince-sama **website that he was an intellectual person. Hence why he did surprisingly well despite his age and demeanour.**

 **I'm looking forward to writing the last member, personally. =^^= but anyway, we're almost done with HEAVENS - just the next chapter, and one more, and then an intermission, and STARISH intro, so hang in there, guys! =^^=**

 **HEAVENS is still soaring high, but will the final angel, Kira Sumeragi, be able to win a good amount for his cause? Just what is his good cause, anyway? Will STARISH be ready when their turn finally arrives?**

 **Stay tuned~**

 **Thoughts are much appreciated! =^^=**

 **Peace out!  
\- Hebi-Kazechi-10**


	11. HEAVENS Chase - Kira

**Hey, guys! Here's the next chapter like I promised. X3**

 **Also, it's the final HEAVENS member to go through an individual round - one Kira Sumeragi! 8D who, despite not having much screentime and exposure, is actually my second favourite** **Utapri character overall. XD**

 **Anyway, HUGE thanks to** youllbeinmyheart1997 **for the follow AND the fave; and to** Kiwikowa **and** erza **for the reviews! :D**

Kiwikowa: **It really surprised me when I found out Nagi was only 13, and his official profile on the Utapri game website revealed he was an intellectual person. OwO Harry Potter is indeed a thing in Japan, and the Japanese dub of it is quite interesting. owo there'll be a few references to other things in this story. X3 STARISH will have their intros after the next chapter as HEAVENS still has one more chapter after this one. Tokiya's your fave? Cool! :D Otoya's my fave. =^^=**

erza: **Sadly, I don't know how to reply in Spanish, but yeah, the rules seem a bit complicated at first, but actually watching an episode of The Chase, and you can get a better understanding of how the game goes. owo**

 **And now, onto the final member of HEAVENS' individual Chase round! :D**

 **Hope you enjoy~**

* * *

"HEAVENS have almost gone to the final judgement," announced Matthew. "One last person who will engage in battle, before we can see if they'll join the Final Chase." The blonde then turned to the last HEAVENS member, "And here he is – Kira Sumeragi."

Kira dipped his head down in respect as the audience cheered loudly for him.

"So, you like animals?" asked Matthew with a soft smile.

Giving a simple nod, Kira's pale yellow eyes were simply fixed onto the Canadian host. His face remained expressionless.

However, Matthew didn't look so deterred, as he asked him in a still gentle tone, "Is there a particular animal you like?"

"Mm…" Kira was this time looking down slightly. He appeared to be thinking. After a moment's pause, he finally spoke up in his low, deep voice, "All are nice. But…rabbits."

"So I see," Matthew smiled warmly. His violet eyes had caught sight of the golden pin on the dark-haired idol's collar. "One more question, Kira – would you like to tell us what you and your bandmates are playing for?"

At this, Kira raised his head slightly. Otoya noticed that the cool flames in his pale yellow eyes were burning once more. "An animal shelter," the HEAVENS member responded clearly.

"An animal shelter?" echoed Matthew.

"Mm…" Kira gave another nod. His hands were clasped at his front again as his eyes raised up to go on level with Matthew again. However, even though he appeared serious and calm, his face seemed to appear even more serious than it was before. The fire in his eyes flickered a bit more.

"So that's what HEAVENS are playing for," remarked Tokiya now looking a little surprised. "For an animal shelter."

"Sounds like it's going under financial problems, too," said Ren.

"So HEAVENS really are playing for a good cause," said a bewildered Syo. "Unless they're lying, but then, what'd the point be with that?"

"Sumeragi-san was always a serious person," said Masato slowly. "It is not like him to lie…even if he is from HEAVENS."

"I wonder if that shelter is special to him," mused Cecil thoughtfully. "Like how the orphanage means a lot to Otoya."

"He could just be playing for the shelter because he likes animals," Natsuki was smiling gently. "I know I would definitely play for and donate to animal shelters even if I am not close to them. The poor animals need a good place to stay before they get to a nice home, too, after all~"

Back in the box where Nanami was sitting at with STARISH's seniors, she was a bit surprised at hearing what Kira's cause was. However, at the same time, as she gazed down at him some more, she really wasn't that surprised. She didn't know about Yamato, Eiji, Shion or Van that much, and was only acquainted with Eiichi, Nagi and the dark-haired idol who were the original three. Out of them, Kira didn't do anything, really.

Sure, he nodded when it was declared that STARISH was going to lose while HEAVENS would be triumphant, but other than that, he didn't do much else.

Hell, he even complimented her work and said he liked it.

Nanami remembered that she was happily surprised at hearing that – composing songs was her passion. And to have someone she didn't know before say that they liked her work and appeared sincere about it really made her give a flustered blush, but also inwardly swell in pride that someone liked her work.

When HEAVENS reintroduced themselves as a seven member group, besides his name, the only other thing Kira said before retreating back was, _"I missed you."_

Nanami was positive that despite his serious and stoic demeanour, Kira was definitely not a harsh and stern person, and there seemed to be a gentle and more feeling heart within him.

In all honesty, if Kira Sumeragi wanted her to compose a song for him, not for HEAVENS but for him and him alone, then really…Haruka Nanami found that she wouldn't really mind that. Though she _did_ know that STARISH probably wouldn't agree to that.

"I wish you good luck, Kira," said Matthew as he dipped his own head in respect. "Your time…starts…now! What is the first letter of the Greek alphabet?"

"Alpha," murmured Kira. His voice still low and deep, but quite clear. Though noticeably, the auditorium was quite silent – probably to just let his voice ring out to everyone's ears, even though it wasn't the softest out of his group.

"Correct," said Matthew. "On which planet is the Great Dark Spot?"

"Neptune," responded Kira.

"Correct," Matthew nodded. "Who wrote the 1790 opera, _Cosi fan Tutte_?"

"Mozart," Kira's speech was noticeably very even-paced. However, his pale golden eyes did dart to the timer a few times.

"Correct."

Back in the waiting room, despite not being part of the audience at the auditorium, STARISH simply remained silent as they watched the final HEAVENS member play. Everyone just gazed at the screen quietly and watched the amount increase.

"What is an avadavat?" asked Matthew.

"A bird," was Kira's reply.

"Correct," Matthew nodded. "If a dish is _'en papillote'_ , then it is cooked or served in what?"

"Paper."

"Correct. What is the plant, belladonna, commonly known as?"

"Deathly nightshade."

"Correct. In the subject of anatomy, what is the outer layer of the skin called?"

"The epidermis."

"Correct. The Battle of Naseby was fought during which war?"

This time, Kira paused for a moment as he appeared to think. His eyes fell to the floor as his eyes narrowed a little bit. However, it looked more like his eyes narrowed more from him pondering rather than looking annoyed. After a little while, he spoke up, "The English Civil War?"

"Correct," Matthew beamed.

Otoya was just watching the whole scene. He was unsure how much Kira had gotten by now, but his attention stayed on the dark-haired young man playing.

"In which novel was the character Holden Caulfield from?" asked Matthew.

Kira said clearly, "Pass."

"Catcher in the Rye," said Matthew. People did look shocked at Kira not answering the question as well as a few inaudible gasps, but otherwise, everyone still stayed as silent as they can. "Where are the headquarters of FIFA?" inquired Matthew.

Otoya immediately perked up at the question _, 'It's Switzerland!'_ Something he was able to answer for once. However, he didn't say it out loud.

Kira then answered, "Zurich, Switzerland."

Matthew nodded as he moved on to the next question, "Correct. How many Oscars did the 1997 film, _Titanic_ , win?"

"Eleven," Kira murmured calmly.

"Correct," said Matthew. "In which sport is an epée used?"

Kira paused again, appearing to be in deep thought. Only this time, he raised a gloved hand up to rub his chin, while the elbow also rested in the other hand. After another moment's thought with all eyes watching him, he responded, "Fencing."

"Correct. What is dromophobia a fear of?"

"Mm…" Kira's eyes narrowed again as he pondered. However, he raised his head up not too long after, "Pass."

"Crossing the road," said Matthew. "What type of nuts are used to make marzipan?"

"Pistachio," murmured Kira as the horn then blared loudly – signalling that the timer reached zero.

"Almonds," corrected Matthew. "A few stumbles here and there, but eleven questions correct! Two million two hundred thousand."

This time, the auditorium erupted with cheers and screams of delight from the audience. The rest of HEAVENS also appeared elated at Kira's success. Kira simply dipped his head down in respect and acknowledgement.

"But to get back and place it in the HEAVENS money pot," Matthew stated. "You do have to face the Chaser."

Once more, Sadik walked out and came back to his seat. The lights were flashing once more as Kira raised his head to peer up at the Turkish man. When the lights disappeared with Sadik seated down, the Phantom boomed, "Hello there, Kira!"

Kira bowed his head down again.

"Not much of a talker, huh?" Sadik sounded more amused if anything. "Well, this'll be short and sweet, then!"

"There's your amount on the board," Matthew beckoned, which prompted the dark-haired young man to look. "Two million two hundred thousand. If you want to go closer to the pot, then the Chaser will offer you…"

"Short and sweet, indeed," grinned Sadik. "But you know what? I'm in a good mood right now, since we're almost there. Seven hundred thousand."

When the amount appeared on the game board, Syo remarked, "So far, that's the highest amount any of HEAVENS got from a low offer."

"That's true," said Tokiya.

"But if you want to go into the Phantom's keep," said Matthew. "Then the offer becomes…"

"Not much of a talker, but are you of the silent and deadly variety?" wondered Sadik. "Since we're at the last stretch, let's see if I can tempt you. Seven million two hundred thousand yen!"

Everyone this time gave loud gasps as the amount appeared above Kira's amount.

"Seven million two hundred thousand?!" Syo's jaw dropped. "That's a lot!"

"Yeah!" Cecil's green eyes widened. "Do you think he'll go for it, though? He's not exactly the most proactive person."

"He probably won't," said Ren smoothly. "He needs this for that animal shelter. If he went higher, though it'd be worth it, if he gets caught, that would just cause a huge dent in your reputation."

Kira however turned to face his bandmates to hear what they had to say. He calmly surveyed all of them as they spoke.

"Seven million would definitely help you, right, Kira?" Nagi's eyes were boggled in amazement.

"But, it's okay if you wanna go low," said Van. "We've already got twenty one million." Here, he patted the table, "And, this is your cause – you have to be in the Final Chase. It just wouldn't feel right."

"Just play whatever you want," said Yamato as he raised his fist and clutched at his arm. "We'll take it! Ain't a problem!"

Shion bowed his own head, "Even mighty warriors have trustworthy allies that they can depend on in the face of battle."

"Kira-kun," Eiji said gently. "Whatever amount you want to play for, it's okay – we'll support you. Even if you get the higher amount and you get caught, it's okay. We're all doing this together, and we'll make sure to play hard for you. So…don't worry, okay? You can depend on us."

Kira then fixed his eyes onto Eiichi. The leader of HEAVENS simply pushed his glasses back up to their perch once more before he finally said something, "Everyone just summed it up. I know you've got skills, definitely. But is it enough? Only you can answer that question. Either way, just do it."

Otoya was honestly quite surprised at seeing such closeness and comradery in HEAVENS, but remembering that if you took away the negativity and jerkish attitudes they had towards STARISH, they were still a boy group who worked together, and depended on each other.

Kira bowed his head low to his groupmates before he finally turned back to the game board where Sadik and Matthew were looking at him expectantly. "I will play for my original amount," he said calmly.

The amounts both wiped away from the game board so that only Kira's amount remained.

"Good luck, Kira," Matthew smiled. "For two million two hundred thousand, the Chase is _on_!" The lights flashed once more as they dimmed so that the stage matched the serious atmosphere again. "Your first question. On which scales does zero degrees represent the coldest possible temperature? A) Kelvin, b) Celsius, or c) Fahrenheit?"

Sadik pressed faster than Kira did. However, the dark-haired HEAVENS member also had an answer in mind already.

"It's not Celsius, I'm pretty sure," said Otoya. "Because you can go negative there."

"Yeah," agreed Syo. "Same with Fahrenheit. So then it'd be Kelvin, right?"

And sure enough, that was the correct answer. Kira was right, so was Sadik, and both took a step forward.

"Next question," said Matthew. "By area, what is the largest empire in history? A) The Mongul Empire, b) The British Empire, or c) The Russian Empire?"

This time, Kira took more time to think. Sadik also seemed to be thinking carefully, but pressed the button much faster. Kira was still thinking a little bit more, but upon a gentle reminder from Matthew, the golden-eyed idol pressed a button.

"You put," Matthew spoke up. "B) The British Empire."

"Seems right," said Ren with a shrug. Everyone else agreed.

Once more, Kira's answer flashed green as he took a step forward. Likewise, Sadik also took a step forward as his red border was flashing around the correct answer.

"Which of these animals is _not_ a 'pinniped'?" questioned Matthew. "A) Seal, b) Whale, or c) Walrus."

This time, Kira was faster with his response. He was only a second or so after Sadik had pressed one of the buttons. Otoya wasn't at all surprised that the dark-haired HEAVENS member seemed much faster to respond when it came to questions concerning animals, since it definitely did seem apparent by now he was more of an animal lover.

"What is a pinniped?" wondered Cecil, however he did look really nervous as he shuffled a little in his spot.

Otoya was surprised at first, but then he remembered how the prince didn't like water or anything associated with it. Ai-senpai had mentioned it was because Cecil came from the desert, so he wasn't accustomed to bodies of water and sea creatures, which _did_ make some sense.

"Dunno…" Syo squinted. "But I don't think a guess would hurt."

Masato nodded, "I will say whale here. It is different to a seal and a walrus, though I am unsure as well."

However, when it was shown that whale was indeed the answer, Syo looked in the blue-haired scion's direction with a smile, "You're really good at this, Masato!"

Once more, Masato blushed at the compliment, but he politely thanked the hat-wearing blonde. Natsuki also remarked, "Masa-chan is very, very smart, indeed~!" This, in turn, caused Masato's cheeks to become rose red.

"A pinniped is a carnivorous aquatic mammal of the order _Pinnipedia_ ," drawled Sadik. "That includes the seal and the walrus. A whale is in the _Cetacea_ order."

"Good to know something every day," Matthew said pleasantly. "Still three more steps home, Kira, but you're getting there! In a game of poker, which of these hands is the least likely to be obtained? A) Four of a kind, b) Full House, or c) Flush?"

This time, Otoya was surprised at seeing Kira press the button quite quickly. This time, he and Sadik were on par when it came to the time pressing the button. Sadik this time looked very intrigued, though he simply smirked. The redhead then wondered, "They have quite a couple of poker questions…"

"I can actually answer these kinds of questions," laughed Ren. "It would be a."

"Four of a kind?" Syo arched an eyebrow. "Really?"

"A royal flush is the best hand to have," explained Ren. "Then a straight flush. After that, it would be a four of a kind. Though not impossible, it would definitely be unlikely to get a four of a kind hand – you would need four of the same card in your hand. For example, in a poker hand, you have five cards. To get a four of a kind, you need for instance, four queens."

"Oh…I see!" Cecil looked really excited. "Could you teach me to play poker some time?"

"Why, of course, Ceci!" Ren laughed. "I'd be happy to."

And sure enough, Ren's answer was correct. Kira once more also got the correct answer, as did Sadik. Sadik then went on to clarify what Ren had just explained previously, except he used kings instead of queens in his example.

"Two more to go, Kira," said Matthew. "Keep it coming! Which Cleopatra had an affair with Julius Caesar? Was it a) Cleopatra VII, b) Cleopatra V, or c) Cleopatra I?"

This time, Otoya looked bewildered, "Wait…there was more than one Cleopatra?"

Tokiya looked at him incredulously, "Yes, there was more than one Cleopatra! You didn't know that?" When he was met with a shrug, the blue-haired idol rubbed at his head and gave a groan.

"Well, then what would the answer be?" questioned Otoya a bit defensively. He knew he wasn't the smartest – there was no need to rag on him about it.

Tokiya shook his head, "Honestly, for this one, I'm unsure. I definitely know it's not c. So it's either a or b."

"Guessing time again, it looks like," sighed Syo. "Well, I'll say b."

"Very well, I will take a," said Masato.

Kira also took some time to think, but he pressed the button, anyway. Matthew spoke up, "You put…a. Cleopatra VII. The correct answer is…"

When Kira's answer flashed green with a light _'ding'_ , Kira's shoulders relaxed – it looked like that one was a guess on his part, or a question he wasn't so sure about. Syo meanwhile was upset, "Grah! I can't guess correctly! What the hell?!"

"Aww, don't worry, Syo-chan," Natsuki cooed reassuringly. "You'll get it next time~"

Cecil also patted Syo's back as a means of reassurance. Otoya honestly couldn't help but feel bad for his short bandmate.

When it was revealed Sadik also got the question correct and so his red arrow moved forward, the Turkish man spoke up, "Interestingly enough, all the women in that family were called Cleopatra. Meanwhile, all the boys were called Ptolemy."

"All boys and all girls?" Masato sounded a bit unsure. "That would be quite confusing, would it not?"

"A small meal consisting traditionally of bread, cheese and pickle is what lunch?" inquired Matthew. "A) Draughtsman's, b) Ploughman's, or c) Hangman's?"

Kira again took some time to think as he rubbed at his chin with his gloved hand. In contrast, Sadik didn't waste any time. Once more, Matthew had to gently nudge him before the dark-haired idol picked a response.

"What do you guys think?" wondered Otoya. "I really don't know…"

"Hmm…" Syo was rubbing at his chin as he sat up and leaned forward. "Definitely don't think it's gonna be c…maybe b?"

"Either a or b, really," said Tokiya. "C doesn't sound right."

"Your answer Kira, is…" Matthew looked up to see that a) Draughtsman was lit up. "The correct answer is…"

However, instead of Kira's answer flashing green, it was b) Ploughman's. Kira's eyes widened slightly at his mistake.

Meanwhile, Syo looked triumphant, "Finally! I got a question right!" He had raised his arms up in the air.

Cecil and Otoya were clapping happily along with Natsuki who was still cooing happily. Ren was chuckling, "Good job, ochibi-chan. Good job." Masato had a small smile cross his face, while Tokiya surveyed the scene, though he did look satisfied that Syo had gotten the question right.

He wasn't the only one, though.

Sadik also got the question right, so that prompted him to take another step forward. He wasn't behind Kira, but Otoya knew that the dark-haired idol would still feel the pressure, regardless. He would, too.

"Just one last question, Kira," Matthew said soothingly. "One correct answer. You can do it!"

Back at the HEAVENS table, Nagi cried, "Go, Kira~!" Likewise, Yamato also cupped his hands around his mouth before calling, "You got this, Sumeragi!" and everyone else joined in calling encouragements to their fellow bandmate. Shion however dipped his head while Eiichi crossed his arms over his chest, but he flashed a small thumbs-up. Members in the audience, particularly the section with the girls, were also cheering Kira on.

For a moment, Kira simply stared at everyone who cheered for him. He surveyed everyone with no form of expression in his face.

Then, he gave a deep bow in their direction. In a soft voice, he also murmured, "Thank you…"

Matthew simply smiled at the display before speaking up, "Let's make this your final question, Kira, come on! Which animal was not featured in a title written in the Beatrix Potter books? Is it a) Pig, b) Otter, or c) Frog?"

This time, Kira pressed the button faster than Sadik. Again, his face was stoic, but Otoya could clearly see the fire in his eyes burn more brilliantly from determination.

"I love those books~!" Natsuki looked quite delighted at the mentioning of the author and the animals.

"Beatrix Potter?" Masato echoed. "Ah, yes. I do know of that series. Mai loves it."

"Beatrix Potter?" Syo scratched his head. "Oh…wait! That's the books with all the animals in it, wasn't it? Like Peter Rabbit and all that?"

Otoya's eyes flashed in recognition, "Oh, yeah! I remember those books! The kids love them – I read it to them a lot."

"The question is – which animal is not mentioned in a title," said Tokiya. "I definitely don't think it's a pig."

"I honestly wouldn't know," said Cecil with a sheepish chuckle. "Sadly, I don't read or know of them…"

"Not to worry, Ceci" reassured Ren with a smile. "I don't read them, either, so I wouldn't know, either."

Otoya was trying to recall in his head the titles he'd read the orphans whenever he visited and it was night. He scratched at his head, "Hmmm…I think it's the otter." When everyone looked at him, Otoya said, "There's the Tale of Little Pig Robinson, so it can't be pig. For frog, there's the Tale of Mr Jeremy Fisher. They really like that one." He chuckled at recalling how happy the children were whenever he read that one to them.

"Mai loves that story, too," said Masato with a small, fond smile that suddenly creased onto his usually serious face.

"Okay, then," said Syo. "It should be otter, then."

Everyone turned to see that Kira had also answered otter. Things grew silent again as everyone waited for the answer to see if Kira would either make it, or continue to have to go under pressure with Sadik pressing behind him.

This time, though, Otoya looked at the question determinedly – certain he wasn't wrong this time.

That was when b) Otter flashed in green.

The stage flashed with bright electric blue again as Kira's shoulders relaxed. Matthew was clapping, and the auditorium was filled with the clapping, cheers, shouts, screams and cat-calling from the audience. "Excellent, Kira!" Matthew praised. "You made it."

Kira's total of two million two hundred thousand was added onto the HEAVENS money pot, which then boosted the amount to a final total of twenty-three million three hundred thousand yen. The dark-haired idol gave a small murmur of thanks to the Canadian host and shook his hand before he faced Sadik one last time.

Sadik tilted his head before chuckling, "Heh, so you _are_ silent but deadly. Also very cautious. Think you should've gone for the higher amount, but hey…" he shrugged. "Whatever floats your boat."

Kira again bowed, though this time in Sadik's direction, before shaking hands with Matthew one last time, and going back to take his seat. His fellow HEAVENS members looked ecstatic at his success. Nagi was hugging him, Van had leaned over to pat his shoulder, Yamato had even run over and smacked at his back. Shion also nodded his head, and Eiji was smiling happily before leaning over to shake his hand. Once everyone was off of Kira, Eiichi had this time laid a hand on Kira's shoulder.

"Well, there you go!" Matthew smiled as he gestured towards HEAVENS. "All seven of the out-of-this-world members of HEAVENS will now go to the Final Chase!" He then turned to Sadik, "What do you think of that?"

"I'm usually accustomed to three or two," laughed Sadik. "Seven's definitely gonna be an interesting one! But let's see if it'll either be Shangri-La or pandemonium when I'm through with 'em!" Here, a wide, wicked grin stretched out on his face as he leered at the HEAVENS table.

"Indeed," Matthew smiled. "The Final Chase will commence soon!"

"They're about to do the Final Chase," remarked Syo. "Can't believe all of them actually made it."

"We'll all make it, too!" reassured Cecil. "I'm positive!"

"Let's just see how things turn out," said Tokiya.

Otoya himself wondered how things would go. Seven against one sounded unfair at first, but then if the seven were against one strong mind, was that really unfair? The redhead didn't know what to expect, but he was both nervous and excited.

It was almost their turn to play.

* * *

 **Now HEAVENS have all done their individual Chases, it's onto the big one.**

 **The Final Chase! 8D**

 **And yes, to me, Kira is totally an animal lover. There isn't an explanation on why he wears a pin in the shape of a bunny of all things, so I think everyone just assumes he likes animals or cute things at least. XD and so yes, we all know now what his cause is - it's for an animal shelter. OwO a later chapter will show a bit of it, but it's still later on. ^^'**

 **Now that all of HEAVENS have made it, will they overcome the sinister specter known as the Phantom, Sadik? Will they be able to win the money for the animal shelter that Kira wants to help?**

 **Stay tuned~**

 **Thoughts much appreciated! =^^=**

 **Peace out!  
\- Hebi-Kazechi-10**


	12. HEAVENS Chase - The Final Chase

**Hey there, guys! :D here I am, and with probably the longest chapter yet in this story. OwO**

 **HEAVENS comes to their final obstacle - that being the Final Chase against Sadik, the Phantom.**

 **Anyway, HUGE thanks to** Kiwikowa **for the review. :D**

Kiwikowa: **Yeah, it is. owo I heard that the Japanese voice for Harry is the seiyu for Kuroko from Kuroko no Basuke. My only complaint for the Japanese dub is that Hermione's voice doesn't suit her (too high-pitched and squeaky for me). Sweet~ :D my top five boys would be 1. Otoya; 2. Kira; 3. Syo; 4. Natsuki; 5. Ai. And yes, Kira's bunny pin - I bet it made many people wonder about it just because of the simple fact - why a bunny of all things? XD**

 **Anyway, onto the HEAVENS Final Chase!**

 **Hope you enjoy~**

* * *

"So, all of HEAVENS have made it to the Final Chase," announced Matthew as he clapped his hands together. "With a total prize of twenty-three million three hundred thousand yen. Now, as you notice, there is a buzzer before each of you."

Sure enough, there were buzzers that were glowing red in front of the seven HEAVENS members. Nagi looked eager to press it, but was given a warning look by Eiichi, while Yamato tentatively poked his. The others just carefully laid their hands on top of it without pressing down, as the game hadn't started yet.

"Here, in the Final Chase," explained Matthew. "Our contestants must answer as many questions as they can in the time limit. Each contestant has a buzzer in front of them, which they _must_ press if they want to answer the question. If someone else answers it, the question is rendered null. Then, the Chaser will have the same amount of time to try and catch the team. If the Chaser is able to catch them, then sadly they will get nothing."

Otoya noticed that Kira stiffened slightly, to which he sympathized.

"If the Chaser is unsuccessful with catching them," said Matthew. "Then they get to keep the money. Pleased with that?"

"Bring it!" called Yamato looking pumped as he laid his hands on the buzzer.

"Ready~!" Nagi chimed out eagerly.

Everyone else just nodded as they straightened their postures and looked keen with playing.

Matthew smiled, "Since seven of you have made it, you get an automatic seven step head start on the Chaser."

The electric blue wall suddenly flashed – separating into seven pale blue panels with the number seven on the last one.

"Here they go," said Syo with a light scowl. "The Final Chase."

"Wonder if they'll be able to make it," wondered Cecil.

"Let's just see," responded Tokiya – looking intently at the screen.

"Good luck," said Matthew as a timer for two minutes appeared. "Your time…starts…now! If something is candied, what is it coated in?"

Nagi then pressed the buzzer. A female electronic voice called his name out calmly as he answered, "Sugar~!"

"Correct," said Matthew. An additional panel then added on to the seven – making it eight steps ahead of the Chaser as the Canadian host asked the next question, "The shorthorn is a breed of what?"

This time, Kira pressed his buzzer. Again, the female electronic voice called his name out as he murmured, "Cow."

"Correct," said Matthew as this time there were nine steps. "What currency has the code GBP?"

Van pressed his buzzer this time. When his name was called, he answered, "Sterling."

"Correct," nodded Matthew. This time there were ten steps. "What is the lower jawbone called?"

Eiichi then pressed his buzzer as he answered, "The mandible."

"Correct," said Matthew as now there were eleven steps. "Key lime pie comes from what country?"

This time, the younger brother to the leader pressed his buzzer. "America," Eiji said softly.

"Correct," Matthew gave a nod as another step was added – making twelve. "Texas Hold 'Em is a variation of which card game?"

Yamato finally had his chance as he slammed his hands down on his buzzer. "Poker!" he called out. He looked pretty satisfied at being told his answer was correct. There were now thirteen steps.

"Which country is the winner of Eurovision 2014 from?" inquired Matthew.

Eiichi had pressed his hand on his buzzer, but someone else beat him to it.

"Austria," responded Eiji looking eager with the question. When he was told he was correct, and another step was added to make fourteen, Eiji looked pretty happy at getting the question right. Though Yamato patted his back with a grin, Eiji recoiled when his older brother glowered in his direction. This caused another frown to crease onto Otoya's face, but his attention was brought back when Matthew asked the next question.

"What is the square root of 196?" asked Matthew.

Nagi immediately pressed the buzzer as he grinned with a tilt of his head, "Fourteen~!"

"Yes, correct," said Matthew as the steps increased to fifteen. "What acid is known as aqua fortis?"

This time, Eiichi was able to press his buzzer and answer a question. "Nitric," he responded with a smirk. When he was told his answer was correct, he placed his hands on the buzzer.

"What colours are on the flag of Italy?" inquired Matthew.

Eiichi pressed his buzzer as he said in rapid succession, "Red, white and green."

Matthew smiled as another step was added, "Correct. What number is CD in Roman numerals?"

For the first time, Shion spoke up as he pressed his buzzer and said softly, "Four hundred."

"Correct," Matthew nodded when another step was added. "Adam's ale is another name for what beverage?"

There was pause with everyone, and for a moment there was some shock, panic or both flashing in all of the eyes of the seven HEAVENS members. Finally, Kira pressed the buzzer as he murmured, "Pass."

"Water," said Matthew. "Angel Falls, the world's highest waterfall, is in what country?"

Van pressed his buzzer as he remarked, "Venezuela."

"Correct," Matthew smiled and another step was added. "What bodily fluid is collected in a lachrymatory?"

Shion then pressed his buzzer as he raised his head to answer, "Tears."

"Yes, correct," said Matthew. Another step placed between HEAVENS and the Chaser. "Who is the creator of Sherlock Holmes?"

Though Yamato was able to answer the question without a problem, Otoya couldn't help but feel that somewhere in the audience, someone was absolutely giddy at hearing that name.

"Seppuku, part of the code of the samurai, is better known by what name?" inquired Matthew.

Shion then pressed his buzzer before answering, "Hari-kari."

"Correct," Matthew nodded as yet another step was added. "What name is given to atoms with the same atomic number, but different numbers of neutrons in their nuclei?"

Eiichi pressed his buzzer as he adjusted his glasses, "Isotopes."

Again, another step was added as Matthew announced, "Correct!"

It was this time, Otoya's red eyes flickered to the timer where he noticed there were twenty-five seconds remaining, and HEAVENS had a really good number of steps already.

"What galaxy is the Earth in?" asked Matthew.

Eiji, Shion and Eiichi all looked like they were trying to press their buzzers, but someone else beat them all to it. Yamato pressed his first, and answered, "Solar system!"

"Milky Way," corrected Matthew.

Yamato grit his teeth and almost cursed at his blunder. He could hear Nagi and Van snickering at his mistake, which caused him to glare in their direction while putting his hands on his buzzer again.

"In science, a pascal is a measure of what?" asked Matthew.

This time, Kira responded clearly, "Pressure."

"Correct," said Matthew as another step was added. "What is the highest range of the female singing voice?"

Eiji swiftly buzzed in as he answered, "Soprano."

"Yes, correct," Matthew replied with another step coming in. "What wine beginning with the suffix _"mi"_ is used for flavouring Japanese cuisine?"

Again, Eiji buzzed in as he responded eagerly, "Mirin."

"Correct," Matthew was smiling gently at him. "What type of flower is a cattleya?"

Kira this time answered, "Orchid."

Matthew again announced the question correct before moving to the next one, "Pung and chow are terms used in what game?"

Yamato instantly pressed the buzzer – his tawny eyes flashing with a furious fire as he answered, "Mah-jong." It looked like he wanted to regain his honour for his slip-up with the Milky Way. He pumped his fist when he was told his answer was correct.

However, that was when Otoya noticed that there were now seven seconds remaining. Probably one last question if HEAVENS was lucky enough. Would they be able to reach it?

Sure enough, Matthew then asked, "The 1995 film _'Toy Story'_ was created by which computer animation company?"

Everyone had tried to buzz in, but sadly, the horn blared loudly – announcing that time had run out. Nagi pouted as Yamato smacked at his head while grumbling. Eiji gave a sheepish smile while Van stretched back in his seat – looking fatigued. Eiichi, Kira and Shion simply remained the same.

Matthew smiled, "I think you all knew the answer to that, didn't you?"

"Yep," some of the HEAVENS members were murmuring. Yamato even grumbled, "Damn it, Pixar…"

This caused members of the audience to giggle and laugh. Matthew joining in before clasping his hands together, "But, look – amazing work! Twenty-eight steps ahead. Brilliant stuff! All of you, well played!" He even clapped his hands at their achievement, as the HEAVENS members were all patting each other's backs, shoulders and clasping some hands. Kira was the only one who remained motionless and simply nodded at everyone else, as well as dipping his head in respect.

"That's quite a lot of steps," remarked Cecil. "Twenty-eight!"

"There _are_ seven of them," reasoned Tokiya. "So they get the seven step head-start, which is really good."

"We just need to make sure none of us get caught in our own chases, then," rationalized Masato. "Then, hopefully we will be successful."

"So, how do you all feel?" questioned Matthew soothingly.

Van gave a sigh of relief before giving a thumbs-up, "Pretty good."

"Great~!" Nagi raised both his hands up as some of the audience members laughed and squealed at his cuteness.

"There is one question remaining, though," said Matthew. "Are twenty-eight steps enough to get away? It's time to bring back the Chaser."

The lights at the back of the ramp and question mark flashed red, gold and orange at odd yet rapid intervals as Sadik stood there. He gave another of his unnerving wicked grins, though this time, it looked worse in Otoya's opinion with the lights behind him. The warm colours and the whole stage suddenly flashing in swirls of red, orange and yellow lights made it look like the stage was being engulfed by fire as Sadik walked on the ramp and to his seat.

And as soon as Sadik sat down, the stage flashed in white light before settling on electric blue again.

"Well, that's a target, isn't it?" Matthew asked the Turkish man.

Sadik was still grinning, "For a moment, I thought they'd get thirty at first, then of course I remembered we're in Earth on the Milky Way."

Yamato clenched his fists at the jab, which prompted Eiji to immediately put a hand on his shoulder. Nagi and Van however were still snickering at that, though Eiichi also smirked.

"I actually thought they were going to get thirty, too," admitted Matthew. "But they still did well!"

"Twenty-eight," remarked Sadik as he tilted his head. "Normally a winning score." He then clapped his hands together and rubbed them before his face became abnormally serious, "Not today."

If Sadik's grinning and smirks weren't bad enough, this serious expression made Otoya feel highly uncomfortable. There was something about how his olive face was pulled just made the redhead want to avert his eyes away instantly. Whereas Sadik's grins and leers forced him to look despite how uncomfortable he felt doing so, this serious expression lacking a smile immediately made him want to look away.

"We'll see, won't we?" Matthew said casually – appearing unaffected. He then turned to the audience, "If the Chaser gets a question wrong, I throw it to the team. If they get it right, they will push the Chaser back one step. If they get it wrong, then things resume as normal. Let's see if twenty-eight is enough. It is time for the Final Chase."

The audience clapped, now eagerly moving to the edge of their seats again as Sadik leaned on one of the arms of his chair. The panel at the back which showed the twenty-eight steps HEAVENS acquired was glowing electric-blue, while the stage also flashed before suddenly toning down to a soft violet colour. However, the lights behind Sadik remained scarlet red, while the table that HEAVENS were at, along with their panel, were electric blue.

Matthew announced, "Chaser, your time…starts…now! What is the capital of Germany?"

"Berlin," responded Sadik with ease.

"Correct," said Matthew.

Upon saying that, the first panel of the twenty-eight steps HEAVENS suddenly flashed before suddenly showing it shed its electric blue colouring and became scarlet red. A black number one was printed on it.

"Clove, sheep and reed are types of what?" questioned Matthew.

"Knot," said Sadik, which caused another step to become red.

"What specific shape is the structure of DNA?" inquired Matthew.

"A helix," said Sadik as he then brought his hand up and made his finger go in a swirly pattern. "Double helix."

"Correct," Matthew nodded when he got the specific answer. " _'The Weeping Woman'_ is the work of which artist?"

"Picasso," said Sadik.

Matthew nodded as another step became red, "Correct. What event comes last in a modern pentathlon?"

Sadik this time tutted as he looked to be thinking. After a second, he then responded, "1500 meters."

Suddenly, Matthew called, "Stop the clock!"

Otoya perked up upon hearing that. Syo and Cecil likewise looked quite shocked with the Canadian host's announcement. Sadik meanwhile rolled his eyes in disgust, though it looked more like the disgust was aimed at himself, as he smacked at his head, too.

Immediately, the timer stopped as Matthew turned towards the HEAVENS table, "HEAVENS, this is your chance to give your first pushback! What event comes last in a modern pentathlon?"

The members of HEAVENS immediately huddled as they discussed amongst themselves. Yamato however looked eager, "It's cross country!"

"Yeah," Van nodded in agreement. "Cross country."

"Okay~!" Nagi announced as he called at Matthew's direction. "Cross country~!"

"That answer is…" Matthew smiled as he gave a nod in their direction. "Correct."

Nagi looked giddy while Yamato triumphantly pumped his fist. He and Van then high-fived as Sadik shook his head and grumbled, "Cross…ten thousand meters…"

One of the panels of HEAVENS' twenty-eight steps reverted back to electric blue as Matthew continued, "Time…starts…again…now! From which country does the Lambada dance originate?"

"Brazil," responded Sadik. His face had furrowed down to a glowering scowl with his pale green eyes sparking now.

Otoya, once more, didn't like the expression. However, though he _did_ feel quite scared looking at it, he was also very intrigued this time at the sudden change of demeanour the Turkish Chaser was exhibiting.

It seemed that that one mistake made Sadik determined, as he started playing with a more fiery flair.

"In Spanish and Italian, what word means house?" asked Matthew.

"Casa," said Sadik.

"Correct," nodded Matthew as another panel became scarlet. "What is the square root of one quarter?"

"One half," responded Sadik evenly, yet seriously.

"Correct," said Matthew as yet another panel turned scarlet red.

Noticeably, the panels were around the HEAVENS table and leaded up to the game board where Sadik was sitting at. Eiji noticeably hunched slightly – looking a bit nervous and unsure, while Yamato and Nagi were fidgeting in their spots. Shion's pale eyes were darting to the panels, while Van's figure grew rigid. Eiichi adjusted his glasses, though noticeably his hand was covering his face. Only Kira remained calm, though his pale yellow orbs _did_ dart to the timer a few times.

"Who was famous for the moonwalk?" inquired Matthew.

"Michael Jackson," responded Sadik seriously.

"Correct," Matthew gave a nod.

"The Chaser is one quarter of a way there," noted Tokiya. "And he still has a minute twelve second left."

"Which means, he can still catch 'em," finished Syo. "Right?"

"He could," said Ren slowly. "Possibly."

"Room 101 is featured in what Orwell-" however, before Matthew could even finish the question, Sadik sharply cut in.

"1984," answered the Turkish man.

"Correct," Matthew said as he nodded.

Sadik's cutting of the question noticeably caused a bit of a panic not only with the HEAVENS table but in the waiting room with STARISH, too.

"He just cut in!" Cecil protested. "Can't he at least listen to the rest of the question?!"

"If you know it, I suppose there is nothing stopping you," said Masato, though he looked unnerved at the sharp cut-in.

"We can do that as well, then," said Tokiya. "Though it's probably better to just listen to the question. Only do that if we have no time, or if we're certain we know what the answer is."

"Yeah," agreed Otoya, a bit shaky at Sadik's change of demeanour from a playful poltergeist to a suddenly sinister spectre. This truly was in his nickname of the Phantom.

"In Greek mythology, Tiresias disclosed the crimes of who?" questioned Matthew.

"Oedipus," said Sadik.

"Correct," responded Matthew. "The United Nations University is based in which Asian city?"

"Tokyo," answered Sadik, as his pale green eyes darted between the clock, and the panels he still had yet to take.

"Correct," nodded Matthew as the Chaser came closer. "In which sport might a _'long jenny'_ be played?"

"Billiards," replied Sadik.

"Correct," another panel was taken as Sadik drew closer. "Ghosts appear in how many of Shakespeare's plays?"

Here, Sadik's eye twitched as he said with his voice dripping in sarcasm, "Hardy-har-har, it's four."

Matthew tried to hold his laughter, but he chuckled, "Correct. Dakahlia, Ghabia and Helwan are governorates of which-"

"Egypt," Sadik sharply cut him off again, to which Matthew affirmed was correct.

Otoya felt really nervous and on edge whenever Sadik did that – just as well, the Chaser they were going to face would probably do that, too. He just hoped that he and the rest of STARISH be able to reach a high number of steps that separated them.

"Lechon is a dish made with which meat?" asked Matthew.

"Pork," said Sadik.

"Correct," nodded Matthew. "Which mountain range separates Spain and France?"

"The Pyrenees," answered Sadik.

"Correct," said Matthew. "In human anatomy, an ossicle is a very small what?"

Sadik replied, "Bone." His answer was confirmed to be correct as another blue step transformed into a red one.

"He's already past half of the steps now," murmured Tokiya, now appearing quite on edge himself. "Still fifty-eight seconds, since he cut off the host a few times."

"He could very well catch them," breathed Natsuki, appearing quite enthralled.

"What type of fruit is a granadilla?" inquired Matthew.

Sadik licked his lips as he narrowed his eyes. However, he snorted before tsking in a non-caring fashion, "A mango."

"Stop the clock!" Matthew called out again. He turned to HEAVENS to give them their chance to answer the question, and possibly push Sadik back again.

"Well? Well?" Nagi was bouncing a little in his chair as he asked everyone. He then turned to face Kira, "What do you think, Kira?"

"…" Kira simply rubbed at his chin – looking very unsure.

"I actually thought it was a mango," Van sounded surprised. "Then the Chaser said it, and it wasn't. I don't know…a starfruit maybe?" he shrugged and shook his head. "I really don't know."

"Eiji, you cook," Eiichi said sternly. "Perhaps you know, since you know a thing or two about food."

Eiji's face tinged scarlet before he stammered, "A-ah…but I'm not a chef by any means, aniki!"

"Just give it a shot, Ootori!" Yamato encouraged as he smacked at Eiji's back. The poor brunette almost stumbled off his seat. "Say anything!"

"Better than nothing," agreed Shion as he helped the purple-eyed brunette from falling over.

"Will you answer?" inquired Matthew.

"Um…" Eiji licked his lips as he felt a huge wash of pressure rain down on him. "I…we…I mean!" Yamato smacked at his back again, making him give a loud grunt, but to calm down. "Orange?"

Matthew sadly shook his head, "Sorry, but no. Passionfruit."

"The hell…?" Yamato's eye was the one that was twitching this time. Nagi also pouted. Eiichi noticeably didn't reprimand his younger brother, and simply adjusted his glasses as they flashed.

"Hey, you tried," Van smiled weakly in Eiji's direction.

Eiji looked highly embarrassed at his mistake. He was clutching at the back of his neck as he averted his violet eyes away from everyone else, and fixed them to the ground. Otoya felt really bad for the poor guy.

"Nobody got the question right, so we continue on," said Matthew. "Time continues…now! Tupan, dhol and snare are all types of what instrument?"

"Drum," said Sadik, still looking determined.

"Correct," nodded Matthew. "What kind of animal is a dik-"

"Antelope," responded Sadik impatiently. His whole figure noticeably was leaned over even more.

Matthew affirmed, "Correct. Taka is the basic monetary unit of which country?"

"Bangladesh," replied Sadik hurriedly as his eyes darted between the clock and the steps. Otoya saw that the Turkish Chaser had ten more before he could finally catch HEAVENS. He still had forty-five seconds remaining, though.

"Which vitamin helps the blood to clot?" inquired Matthew.

"K," answered Sadik.

"Correct," said Matthew. "What word for a part of a ship is also for a pack of cards?"

"Deck," replied Sadik quickly.

Matthew nodded, "Correct. What country is the land of the long, white cloud?"

"New Zealand," answered back Sadik.

"Correct," said Matthew. "What is an ion with a negative charge called?"

"Ah…" Sadik started snapping his fingers as he looked like he was thinking and quickly. "Anion!"

"Correct!" said Matthew as another step was taken.

Noticeably, HEAVENS were now getting on edge – seeing that there were now twenty seconds remaining, with Sadik coming closer and closer. Right now, he had twenty-two steps coloured a bright, blaring red that seemed to glare at them, with only six panels a calm electric-blue. Everyone looked nervous at this point – even Shion and Kira kept watching the timer, the Turkish Chaser, and the remaining steps still not red. Nagi was fidgeting uncomfortably; Eiji was covering at his mouth with one hand; Van was messing with his fringe; Eiichi again adjusted his glasses though his eyes were visible; and finally, Yamato was taking deep breaths.

"What is the highest range of the male singing voice?" questioned Matthew.

"Countertenor," responded Sadik, also quite wary of the clock.

"Correct. What breed of dog is Scooby-Doo?" asked Matthew.

"Great Dane," said Sadik.

"Correct," said Matthew as he continued to the next question. "What is the name of a brooch or ring with a portrait profile carved in-"

"A cameo," replied Sadik, sharply cutting in again.

Matthew however confirmed the answer as correct, "Epiphora affects which part of the human-?"

"The eye!" snapped Sadik now looking impatient. His eyes were glaring, green flames, and his whole figure seemed ablaze.

Otoya felt his heart beat rapidly in his chest before shooting up in his throat as he continued watching. His red eyes widened as he saw Sadik continue to skip questions by answering very quickly, and quite accurately, too. He found he couldn't look away.

"What nationality was 19th century author Hans Chris-" but once more, Matthew was abruptly cut off.

"Danish!" Sadik said sharply.

"Correct," Matthew nodded.

Everyone watched with bated breath as this time, there were only five seconds left separating Sadik from claiming the final step HEAVENS had used to separate themselves from him. HEAVENS now all looked quite alarmed. Yamato's fists clenched harder; Eiji was curling inward; Shion's eyes had widened; Van's mouth was slowly opening by itself in anticipation; Eiichi grit his teeth a little; Nagi was squealing while bouncing up and down in his seat; and Kira's whole figure became rigid.

"How many legs does a flea have?" Matthew asked – he himself now anxious to see the result of this affair.

"Four—no, six!" Sadik realized his mistake too late before slamming his fist down on the table where the buttons during the individual chases were. He roared angrily, "Fuck!"

"Oh, it's wrong!" Matthew exclaimed. He called, "It was wrong!"

The whole stage suddenly flashed a white light as the stage itself was bathed in a brilliant gold with white sparkles glittering everywhere. Someone yelled, _"YES!"_ from the audience as the auditorium erupted into delighted cheers, screams and applause. A few people giggled at Sadik's slip-up and swear, while others looked appalled (Masato being one of them).

At the HEAVENS table, Kira looked noticeably stunned – his mouth was slightly open, and he could only stare wordlessly at the fuming Turkish man who was now banging his head at the top of the game board.

"Kira, we did it~!" Nagi was crying happily as he leapt onto the dark-haired idol. "We won~!"

"Yes!" Yamato was pumping his fists up as he jumped up. " _Yes_! We did it Sumeragi! There!"

Eiji looked quite shocked himself, but after the initial surprise, his face instantly spread out into a big smile as he exclaimed, "We did it! I can't believe it…we really did it!"

Shion appeared to swallow a slight lump in his throat before sighing and crossing his arms over his chest. Eiichi simply chuckled before letting Nagi hug him. Van was also pumping his fist as he exclaimed, "Yes!"

"How exciting was _that_?!" Matthew himself looked really in high spirits. "He would've nailed you had he said six! He said four, and got it wrong! Incredible! Twenty three million three hundred thousand yen!"

"What a Final Chase!" exclaimed Reiji from his spot as he clapped his hands.

"HEAVENS actually made it," Nanami's eyes boggled. "They won."

"Didn't think they had it in 'em," drawled Ranmaru. "But if it weren't for that Chaser screwing up on the last question, he would've caught them for sure."

"Indeed," Ai nodded. "It seems his rushing questions caused him to rush too much, so he spoke an answer out of instinct rather than intellect. A shame."

"How are you feeling?" Matthew smiled at the seven ecstatic members of HEAVENS. He was met with numerous adjectives like _'good'_ , _'awesome'_ , _'brilliant'_ , and _'fantastic.'_ "Extraordinary Final Chase. Congratulations! Well, then, Chaser?"

Sadik was rubbing at his head the whole time and grumbling. His head was still on the table, which shocked a couple of people.

However, people got even more shocked at his next reaction.

He reared his head up after several seconds, and laughed.

A huge, booming, boisterous laugh filled out the auditorium.

The Turkish man was still chuckling as he took the white mask he had earlier out from his pocket, "Ha! You can say that again with the last question. But…I don't mind losing to a good team who can work together. So, well done, boys. Well, done." This time, it was he who clapped with his large hands causing a loud, crisp noise to encourage the audience to join in in agreement.

"Thank you," this time, it was Kira who spoke. He bowed deeply in Sadik's direction as he murmured again, "Thank you very much."

"Oh? Now he speaks," Sadik was still grinning. "Well, good luck with your animal shelter, kid. I can tell the money's gonna be in good hands." He winked before putting the mask on – obscuring his eyes from view, "Now if you'll excuse me, I heard that there's green tea ice-cream and sata andagi being served?" Upon saying that, noticeably people appeared excited and eager at having some of the dessert – sharing the Turkish Chaser's feelings for wanting to eat the confections.

Nagi also looked eager, "Really?! I want some!"

Matthew chuckled, "Extraordinary Chase. Well, there you have it! HEAVENS have won twenty three million three hundred thousand for the animal shelter they were playing for. But! Don't think this is over yet. We still have another team and another Chaser to play. Right now, we will be now in our fifteen minute intermission. However, because we actually finished _earlier_ than expected, fifteen minutes is now one hour! We have some snacks and food outside for everyone to eat. Well, see you soon, everyone!"

Throughout the whole thing, STARISH were quite silent – they were only watching to see what happened. And to say they were shocked at the final outcome was an understatement. No, they were downright _astonished_.

"I can't believe it," Syo murmured. "HEAVENS…actually _won_?!"

Cecil breathed, "They really won…and the Chaser actually got things wrong, too!"

"That just proves the Chaser is human," said Tokiya. "Like us and everyone else. That should just ease our shoulders a bit."

"Not necessarily," this time, much to everyone's shock, it was Natsuki who spoke. "There are three more, aren't there? And they could be far worse than Sadi-chan, wouldn't you think?"

Nobody even reprimanded or made note of the bespectacled boy's addressing of the Turkish man as Sadi-chan.

"We're going to be up next soon," said Otoya. Though he was now worried and nervous, he spread a big, bright beam on his tanned face so that everyone else wouldn't have to worry. "But, hey! If HEAVENS can do it, I _know_ we can do it!"

"Yeah!" Syo sat up, looking pumped. "You've got it!"

"We can do this!" agreed Cecil. "We must and should!"

"Just keep cool, and I'm sure we'll all be fine," Ren nodded as Natsuki chuckled and nodded.

"No time for fears," said Masato. "We must stay positive!"

Tokiya then spoke up, "Yes. And we have one hour to prep ourselves so that we're sure we're ready."

Otoya nodded, "Yeah. One hour…" He still couldn't help the backflips that were taking place in his stomach – making him feel a bit queasy. He stared at the screen where HEAVENS were eagerly talking, but then (literally) chased after Sadik who appeared to be going off stage.

The Turkish man paused before simply laughing and grinning before waving merrily and walking away. Nagi was pouting, and Yamato noticeably deflated. Eiji and Van were trying to reassure them, as did Shion, it appeared.

Noticeably, Kira was staring after Sadik's figure – even when it was out of sight, his pale golden eyes were still fixed on the spot the Turkish man was at last before he disappeared.

Eiichi patted at the dark-haired idol's shoulder before everyone in HEAVENS spoke to Matthew – appearing quite happy, satisfied and proud.

"Ha! That's my boys," outside in one of the boxes, Raging Ootori chortled as he took out a cigar and chewed at the end of it. He blew little threads of smoke as he gazed proudly and smugly at the seven members of HEAVENS.

Shining Saotome nodded, "Looks like your boys made it! But still, did they learn anything from it?"

Here, the hat-wearing man looked pensive, "Hmm…perhaps. We'll only see when things keep coming along. Meanwhile, you worry 'bout your own boys, Saotome."

This time, Shining Saotome laughed heartily, "Very much, I will! Now…I want some of that sata andagi~!"

And with that, much to Raging Ootori's shock, the other man leapt out of their box, and appeared to have vanished. This caused the cigar chomping man to huff, "Pshh…never have you changed, you old fool…"

* * *

 _ **sata andagi -**_ **sweet, deep fried buns of dough similar to doughnuts. They're mixed into a ball, and deep-fried.**

 **And HEAVENS comes out triumphant from their Final Chase - actually managing to rest in peace from the chasing of the Phantom!**

 **So now, I can finally start with STARISH. OwO**

 **First, next chapter is them prepping themselves while also the break (with Nanami also dropping by), and then they have a brief introduction. The chapter after the next one will be them actually playing. X3**

 **With HEAVENS coming triumphant, will STARISH also have the same success? Who will STARISH's Chaser be?**

 **Stay tuned~**

 **Your thoughts much appreciated! =^^=**

 **Peace out!  
\- Hebi-Kazechi-10**


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